Gigondas, Clos Léopold - 2019

At the foot of the Dentelles de Montmirail, on the heights of Gigondas at 350 metres, the Clos Léopold is nestled in the middle of the garrigue, olive trees and cypresses, in a wild natural cirque. It was in the 1960s that Julien Mazaloubaud's grandfather, Léopold, began planting the first vines in this 6-hectare vineyard. Then in 2010, his grandson undertook the conversion of the entire vineyard to organic farming. The soils are ploughed with respect for nature and for the steepest plots, with the help of a magnificent Comtois horse, Aramis.
Julien Mazaloubaud needed to work on a vision that was different from the standards of the appellation, with a search for purity and modernity: "I admire the great local estates, which inevitably inspire me, but I have always loved Syrah, which I discovered in Cornas. I wanted a wine that offered both a lot of fruit and freshness, with very silky tannins. We restructured the vineyard, while preserving the oldest vines, which were planted at the origin of the estate. Today I work with a blend of 40% Syrah and 60% Grenache and very small yields, between 15 and 20 hl/ha. The grapes are generally harvested by hand at the beginning of October, for optimal ripeness. The vinification is traditional with a long maceration, total destemming and natural yeast fermentation. The wine is aged in cement vats and then in the bottle.