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Château de Montmirail, Gigondas “Cuvée de Beauchamp”

Southern Rhône, France 2016 (750mL)
$28.00
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Château de Montmirail, Gigondas “Cuvée de Beauchamp”

Can a red wine be luscious and lively at the same time? Why yes, yes it can. I’m reminded of it every time I taste Château de Montmirail’s “Cuvée de Beauchamp”—a wine that has made repeated appearances here on SommSelect. This wine, to me, is not only a reference point for Gigondas but for the entire Rhône Valley, a “GSM” (Grenache-Syrah-Mourvèdre blend) of true distinction.
It’s always tempting to call Gigondas a “baby Châteauneuf-du-Pape” to take advantage of its close resemblance to a more-famous neighbor, but as I’ve said before, Cuvée de Beauchamp must be judged on its own merits, not in ‘relative’ terms. Although Gigondas and Châteauneuf are only 10 miles apart, they are nevertheless different terroirs: The vineyards of Châteauneuf lower-lying hills and alluvial plateaus with high percentages of sand and river cobble, while the vineyards of Gigondas climb to higher elevations, into the foothills of the limestone-rich Dentelles de Montmirail—a shark-toothed mountain range that looms over the town and shapes the style of its wines. Since the 1960s, the foremost interpreter of Gigondas has been the Archimbaud family of Château de Montmirail, whose 2016 packs an enormous amount of concentration, minerality, personality, and energy into a sub-$30 bottle. It’s always a standout and is especially appealing in the ’16 vintage, so when the occasion calls for brawn and beauty alike, this is your wine!
The Archimbaud family is the largest landholder in both Gigondas and neighboring Vacqueyras, with 24 hectares of vineyards in the former and 20 in the latter. Back in the 1960s it was Maurice Archimbaud who launched the domaine, with both inherited and purchased parcels, and he was considered a trailblazer in Gigondas by planting further “upslope” in search of both a cooler microclimate and more limestone in the soil. These higher-elevation vineyards enabled the Montmirail wines to retain brighter acidity and a more pronounced mineral imprint, which distinguishes them from the general run of “baby Châteauneufs” coming out of the appellation. Today, the property is run by Maurice’s daughter, Monique, and her children, Philippe and Sylvie. They focus more on viticulture, selling off much of their produce in bulk, but they reserve a small amount of their best old-vine fruit for the “Cuvée de Beauchamp” bottling.
 
The family continues to craft wines with the traditionalist approach, and the resulting wines are a testament to Maurice’s audacious viticultural labors. Cuvée de Beauchamp is a blend of 75% Grenache, 15% Syrah and 10% Mourvèdre, which is derived from vines that are a minimum of 40 years of age. The Syrah lends structure while the Mourvèdre contributes enticing spiciness to the luscious Grenache fruit. The wine is de-stemmed, crushed, and fermented over the course of 25 days with daily pump-overs, after which it ages in ceramic-lined stainless steel tanks for 15 months and is bottled without fining or filtration. It’s an expression of Gigondas that is as thought-provoking as it is delightful to drink.
 
In the glass, the 2016 Cuvée de Beauchamp’s dense ruby core gives way to pale garnet and pink reflections at the rim. While intensely concentrated, the dark fruit is in no way “cooked,” with aromas of black cherry, cassis, blackberry and dried strawberry intertwined with black pepper, olives, and the Rhône Valley’s signature herb-and-flower box of garrigue. With lush fruit, solid tannic ballast from the Syrah, and an earthy, mineral edge on the mid-palate, this wine reveals the essence of Rhône mountain fruit. It is ready to enjoy now, but will reach its peak between its 8th and 10th birthday. So, stash a few bottles away in the cold reaches of your cellar. Decant for one hour and serve in Burgundy stems around 55-60 degrees, and get it on the table with an appropriately southern French lamb dish. That’s a pairing that cannot be topped!

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Country
France
Region
Southern Rhône
Sub-Region
FranceGigondas
Soil
Clay, Limestone and Gravel
Farming
Sustainable
Blend
75% Grenache - 15% Syrah - 10% Mourvèdre
Alcohol
15.0
TEMP.
60
Glassware
Burgundy Stems
Drinking
Now-2030
Decanting
60 Minutes
Pairing
Leg of Lamb

France

Bourgogne

Beaujolais

Enjoying the greatest wines of Beaujolais starts, as it usually does, with the lay of the land. In Beaujolais, 10 localities have been given their own AOC (Appellation of Controlled Origin) designation. They are: Saint Amour; Juliénas; Chénas; Moulin-à Vent; Fleurie; Chiroubles; Morgon; Régnié; Côte de Brouilly; and Brouilly.

Southwestern France

Bordeaux

Bordeaux surrounds two rivers, the Dordogne and Garonne, which intersect north of the city of Bordeaux to form the Gironde Estuary, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The region is at the 45th parallel (California’s Napa Valley is at the38th), with a mild, Atlantic-influenced climate enabling the maturation of late-ripening varieties.

Central France

Loire Valley

The Loire is France’s longest river (634 miles), originating in the southerly Cévennes Mountains, flowing north towards Paris, then curving westward and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near Nantes. The Loire and its tributaries cover a huge swath of central France, with most of the wine appellations on an east-west stretch at47 degrees north (the same latitude as Burgundy).

Northeastern France

Alsace

Alsace, in Northeastern France, is one of the most geologically diverse wine regions in the world, with vineyards running from the foothills of theVosges Mountains down to the Rhine River Valley below.

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