This past Friday was our 22nd wedding anniversary and for such a special occasion I selected a 2003 Gigondas from Brotte to enjoy with my wife during a nice, quiet dinner at home. Since the word Gigondas means joy and jubilation in Latin I thought it very appropriate for such a special evening. We had decided to stay at home instead of venturing out for a nice dinner for several reasons. The first being we had blown our dining-out budget the Sunday before having great steaks and fine wine at the Taste of Texas here in Houston with family and friends. Plus it was a Friday night and it can be less than a peaceful evening fighting the crowds at some of the popular restaurants. So a nice evening at home seemed appropriate.
Gigondas is a blend that consists mainly of Grenache along with Syrah and Mourvedre, which comes from the nice little Provencal village with the same name in the southern part of the Rhone Valley in France. Grenache is a grape which is quite hard to characterize: it does not have the prominent varietal characteristics of Syrah or Cabernet and often produces wines that, while concentrated, alcoholic and tannic, are surprisingly light in color. However, given low yields and careful vinification, this grape is capable of producing serious, herby, spicy, earthy, cinnamon-laced wines with good ageing capacity.
Gigondas went very well with the roasted pork loin that we had and would go well with any meat or tuna cooked with red wine, beef stew, game, mushrooms, and strong cheeses. It also matches very well with spicy Mexican, Indian and exotic foods. All in all, Gigondas is a very nice wine for under $20.
I’ll be talkin’ to ya later!
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