Domaine Giraud "Grenaches de Pierre" - Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge 2023

Domaine Giraud was established in 1974 by the husband and wife team of Pierre Giraud and Mireille Buou. Pierre (a descendant of six centuries of winemakers) and Mireille (whose family owned the village’s distillery for several generations) founded their estate with four hectares of vineyards that they’d originally sharecropped. The 1981 transformation of Mireille’s family distillery into a wine cellar ushered in the couple’s first vintage. Brother and sister, François and Marie took over in 1998 under the watchful eyes of their parents, setting their goal of producing more elegant wines with respect to their family’s traditions. Plot selection management, cellar and winery renovations and conversion to organic farming (certified in 2011) were all part of their focus as well as vineyard expansion. Today, François and Marie oversee 35 hectares of mostly old-vines, tremendously well-situated on the plateaux of le Crau, Gallimarde and Pignan

Giraud's Grenaches de Pierre — crafted from the family's 100+ year old Grenache vines in La Crau and Pignan — is a tribute to the siblings' father and estate founder Pierre Giraud. 100% destemmed, vinified and aged (approx. 18 mos.) in concrete vats, Grenaches de Pierre possesses dazzling purity, charm and refinement. This Châteauneuf-du-Pape pours an entrancing sanguine red, erupting from the glass with an eye-fluttering bouquet of red and black berry and stone fruits tinged with notes of crushed violets, dried herbs and spice. The gorgeous, full-bodied palate displays an incredible combination of elegance and power. Packed with concentrated flavors of red and black raspberry and spiced cherry compote, these ripe fruits cling to a subtle mineral core, buttressed by soft, sensuous tannins. The lengthy finish is ethereal, showcasing tremendous finesse and depth. Stunning right out of the bottle, Grenaches de Pierre offers wonderful aging potential in a proper cellar (15+ years). Less that 250 cases were produced.