Domaine Les Pallières

Domaine Les Pallières, nestling in the foothills of the beautiful and brooding Dentelles de Montmirail, is undeniably one of the greatest, longest-running properties of the Southern Rhône. The vineyards range from 250-400 meters in altitude, with varying proportions of sand and clay interwoven with limestone scree descending from the Dentelles. When the Brunier family purchased the domaine back in 1998 this great property had fallen on hard times. Years of painstaking work in the vineyards followed. Terraces were built and reinforced, allowing for better water retention. A new winery was built to receive the harvested parcels individually in gravityfed tanks. Finally as the Bruniers began to fully understand the vineyards at Pallieres the many lieux-dits, once blended into one cuvée of Gigondas, were separated into two, starting with the 2007 vintage, in an effort to best express two remarkable personalities. Cuvée “Terrasse du Diable,” encompasses the low-yielding vines from the higher altitudes that express great structure and intense minerality. Cuvée “Les Racines” showcases the vineyard parcels surrounding the winery—the origin of the domaine with the oldest vines—with the emphasis on freshness and extravagant cornucopian fruit.

Dark and deep in the glass, much darker than the Terrasse. The nose is immediate, full and brooding with a powerful kick of concentrated black fruits, roasted coffee and a baked earth quality that seems almost feral and animalistic. The palate is powerful, robust and grips well, the fruit is concentrated, almost jammy, but overlaid with savoury notes of Crème de Mure, black olive, cracked pepper, wild herbs and liquorice. The flavour profile is like an assault, broodingly rich, dark and full, with sinew and muscle overlaid across the extremely ripe fruit. The tannins are big, rounded and plush yet in balance with the concentrated fruit and freshness, giving the impression of power and elegance in perfect balance. A wine of great complexity.

Delicious with beef meatballs with a tomato ragu.

The grapes are handpicked and partically destemmed before fermentation in concrete vats. The wine is aged in large oak foudres for a period of 10 months. It is then bottled without filtration.