Domaine Raspail-Ay Gigondas

Domaine Raspail-Ay  Gigondas

Winery Information

We first met Dominique Ay at his humble domain on a sun-drenched Provençal day more than twenty-two years ago, and we have been a fan of his brilliant Gigondas ever since. Not surprisingly, Robert Parker, Jr, and a coterie of wine writers and critics subsequently discovered the Gigondas of Raspail-Ay and constantly sing its praises. It is easy to like Dominique Ay, the affable but serious minded proprietor of Domaine Raspail-Ay, and it is just as easy to be charmed by the warm, seductive Gigondas he coaxes from his 40 acre domain.

Located on the terraces of the rugged Gigondas appellation, the last outcropping of the mighty alpine chain with the imposing rock formation of the Dentelles de Montmirail looming as a backdrop, this classic southern Rhône estate produces in each vintage no more than 8,000 cases of a single wine – a superb Gigondas. Although rich and full-flavored, Dominique Ay’s Gigondas also displays elegance and sophistication, elements often missing in the wines of many of his neighbors, and Raspail-Ay’s Gigondas is better for it.

The Gigondas of Domaine Raspail-Ay is an artful blend of 80% Grenache, 15% Syrah and 5% Mourvèdre that is always ripe, generous, and rich on the palate. One can always count on this estate to fashion a wine with a mouthful of ripe, dark fruits – black cherries, cassis, and raspberries – with plenty of tasty notes of licorice and black pepper playing in the background. Curiously, the tannins of this domain’s ethereal Gigondas always appear ripe and supple, too, mellowed no doubt by a hiatus of 20 months or more in large ancient oak foudres. In addition, Dominique Ay ages his Gigondas several more months in old demi-muids in his refreshingly cool chais. The result is a wine that exhibits ripe, dark fruit aromas and a supple rich texture that belie its 14%- or 15%-plus alcohol content. Miraculously, the fruit in the wine lasts all the way from beginning to end, before exploding in a long, ripe, satisfying finish.

Testing Nose

A great example of the more elegant and perfumed style of the domaine, it reveals a ruby color to go with perfumed notes of strawberries, garrigue, sweet cherries and spice. It has good length, no hard edges and a forward, charming style ideal for drinking over the coming 6-7 years.

Wine Advocate 88 points