Deep ruby color; black olive, cherry, raspberry, cranberry, red berries, herbs, thyme, leather, pepper on the nose and palate.
Dry; mild, pliant tannins and similar acidity. Smooth, medium body. This is GSM effort from a cooperative—Gigondas La Cave—in, well, Gigondas in Southern Rhône. The cooperative includes a throng of makers and their website has no English translation, so obtaining data is daunting. The GSM formula for this Saint Tronquet effort is 65% grenache, 25% syrah, 10% mourvèdre. The winemaking is traditional: destemming, 15 days of fermentation with daily pump overs and manual punch downs. 14% ABV
The Plan de Dieu [God’s Plan] region is around 360 feet in elevation at the junction of the four communes of Violès, Travailan, Camaret-sur-Aigues and Jonquières. It receives good sunshine and also benefits from the vigorous Mistral winds. The soil is classic Gigondas—red clay and many large pebbles to a depth of more than 30 feet. The pebbles—“cailloux roulés” [rolled pebbles]—both store heat and reflect sunlight, contributing to the unique terroir of Gigondas and adjacent Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
The Plan de Dieu has been recognized for its special terroir since 1326 and received its Côtes-du-Rhône Villages appellation and geographical denomination in 2005. The Gigondas La Cave cooperative’s website does not have a separate page for Saint Tronquet—there are several makers who do have individual pages within the website, so Saint Tronquet appears to be just beginning marketing its efforts outside of France and its region. I am, thus, unable to do my usual storytelling about the winemakers.
Gigondas La Cave Le Dit De Saint Tronquet, Côtes du Rhône Villages Plan de Dieu 2022 is a solid GSM wine from the Southern Rhône from a Rhône Villages cooperative in a special place—“God’s Plan” [Plan de Dieu]. Tracks with everything you want and expect from a Gigondas region GSM, which is very nice indeed, especially at this price point. Pair with lamb; beef; wild game—venison, boar; baked, broiled chicken. Cheese—manchego, smoked gouda, cheddar, gruyère, pecorino, asiago. $18
