{"id":5180,"date":"2025-01-07T18:38:03","date_gmt":"2025-01-07T17:38:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.closdescazaux.fr\/the-great-white-of-the-dentelles\/"},"modified":"2026-01-23T14:47:41","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T13:47:41","slug":"the-great-white-of-the-dentelles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.closdescazaux.fr\/en\/the-great-white-of-the-dentelles\/","title":{"rendered":"The Great White of the Dentelles"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It\u2019s official! Gigondas has been whitened! Spotless! The Immaculate Conception, finally! No longer living in sin, the winemakers have brought forth the AOP Gigondas blanc! <\/p>\n\n

And what a miracle, given the arduous path to holy recognition from the gods of the INAO (National Institue of Appellations of Origin)! After an initial rejection in 1954 that forced the winemakers to \u201cfall back\u201d on C\u00f4tes-du-Rh\u00f4ne blanc, a new attempt was launched in 2011. This effort finally succeeded in 2024, with the 2023 harvest officially recognized as the first vintage. More than a decade of waiting to inscribe \u201cGigondas\u201d on bottles of white wine! And let\u2019s not forget the specifications\u2014neither too much nor too little! Every detail had to be perfect, as these specifications become the Ten Commandments of AOP Gigondas blanc for eternity (or almost). <\/p>\n\n

Experience in the vineyard matters, as does the ambition of those committed to this production, both winemakers and merchants. On this point, Gigondas hit the mark. In 2018, following encouraging trials in white winemaking, the Gigondas ODG (Organisme de D\u00e9fense et de Gestion) proposed a modification of the sacred specifications for white wine production: Clairette blanche as the principal grape (at least 70%), vinified alone or blended with traditional Rh\u00f4ne Valley varieties present in Gigondas (Bourboulenc blanc, Clairette rose, Grenache blanc and gris, Marsanne blanche, Piquepoul blanc, or Roussanne). Additionally, two accessory varieties\u2014Viognier and Ugni blanc\u2014may not exceed 5% of the blend. This framework is finely balanced: between a laudable constraint (the magnificent Clairette) and a permissible freedom (the \u201ctraditional\u201d varieties), the space for expression is carefully delineated to spark creativity among winemakers. To quote Paul Val\u00e9ry: \u201cThe alexandrine is the clash of will and sentiment against the insensibility of conventions.\u201d Gigondas, like a poem, has found its alexandrine, and it is named Clairette\u2014we\u2019ll return to this. <\/p>\n\n

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You might have noticed that the \u201ctraditional white<\/em> varieties of Gigondas\u201d were already cultivated before 2023. While most white grape parcels were uprooted in favor of red grapes following the establishment of the AOP Gigondas for red and ros\u00e9 in 1971, some estates continued producing whites by \u201cdowngrading\u201d them (what an awful term!) to AOP C\u00f4tes-du-Rh\u00f4ne. As a result, 16 hectares out of 1,200 hectares are currently dedicated to whites, cultivated by about 30 operators out of 110 in the appellation\u2014more than the production of Gigondas ros\u00e9 (according to 2019\/2020 CVI figures). Add to this a dozen producers ready to plant white grapes in the coming years, and within five years, 15% of operators will vinify Gigondas blancs. A strong momentum is already underway. <\/p>\n\n

As for the terroir, the entire Gigondas vineyard is located within the commune, a rarity worth noting. This positioning directly benefits from the Font des Papes, a small stream whose source lies in the Dentelles de Montmirail\u2019s highlands. This stream has shaped a gently sloping alluvial fan west of the village, composed of limestone debris, marls, and often sandy soils. With this geological mosaic, unified by limestone, the Gigondas vineyard crafts wines known for their length and precision, akin to the chiseled features of the Dentelles. Additionally, the predominant West\/Northwest exposure ensures excellent vineyard ventilation and mitigates the summer\u2019s excessive heat, creating ideal conditions for fresh, refined, and aromatic white wines with excellent aging potential. That\u2019s the theory. Now for the practice. <\/p>\n\n

\"La<\/figure>\n\n

At a tasting organized by the ODG, we had the chance to explore the first official vintage of Gigondas blancs, the 2023 harvest. Around twenty samples were presented\u2014a significant number for a launch\u2014allowing us to form a solid opinion on the wines\u2019 quality and stylistic diversity. Let\u2019s be clear: it\u2019s a success. Producers have maximized Clairette\u2019s potential, experimenting with vinification, aging, and blending to produce wines perfectly attuned to today\u2019s trends. Compared to other Clairette-based wines from the Rh\u00f4ne Valley, Gigondas blanc seems to strike a better balance between concentration and freshness, with better-integrated alcohol. In terms of flavors, Clairette\u2019s characteristic bitterness is subtle, giving way to a more pronounced salinity. Aromatically, notes of anise and white pepper mingle with fresher hints of menthol and flowers, underscoring the wines\u2019 unique profile. Of course, this is an initial impression that must be confirmed over several years, but it\u2019s hard to hide our enthusiasm after this first tasting! One final and important note: the age of the vines. Some estates have the advantage of \u201cstarting\u201d with older vineyards, which is particularly significant for Clairette and its adaptability to climate change. Now, let\u2019s move on to the results. Enjoy your discovery! <\/p>\n\n

Olivier Borneuf<\/p>\n\n

Domaine le Clos des Cazaux<\/strong> \u2013 Clairette – Tank Sample \u2013 94-95<\/strong>Concentrated nose with candied lemon, a hint of biscuit, and white anise. Dense yet refined attack, very precise, transitioning into citrus. Smooth, tangy, and fairly long finish with a charming buttery note. Great potential. <\/p>\n\n

Source : La Tulipe Rouge – The Essential Digital Wine Guide<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s official! Gigondas has been whitened! Spotless! The Immaculate Conception, finally! No longer living in sin, the winemakers have brought forth the AOP Gigondas blanc! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5173,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-domaine"],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":56,"label":"The domaine"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/www.closdescazaux.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/actus_2025-tulipe-rouge-cover.jpg",1000,562,false],"author_info":{"display_name":"Le Clos des Cazaux","author_link":"https:\/\/www.closdescazaux.fr\/en\/author\/contrib\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":56,"name":"The domaine","slug":"the-domaine","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":56,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":9,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":56,"category_count":9,"category_description":"","cat_name":"The domaine","category_nicename":"the-domaine","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.closdescazaux.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5180","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.closdescazaux.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.closdescazaux.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.closdescazaux.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.closdescazaux.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5180"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.closdescazaux.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5180\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.closdescazaux.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5173"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.closdescazaux.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5180"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.closdescazaux.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5180"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.closdescazaux.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5180"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}