The most mineral-driven in the lineup, the 2014 Gigondas le Claux is almost 100% Grenache, and was fermented with 100% stems and aged in Burgundy barrels. Freshly crushed rocks, black currants, forest floor and truffle notes all flow beautifully to a medium to full-bodied, layered, sexy and nicely concentrated Gigondas that has enough fruit to drink well on release, yet the structure, balance and depth to evolve for 10-15 years. It's an undeniable success in the vintage. Louis Barruol's Chateau de Saint Cosme continues to be the reference point estate in Gigondas; Gigondas--and Grenache for that matter--doesn't get much better than his single vineyard releases from parcels located just around his estate. The winemaking here is traditional, with no destemming and aging occurring all in older barrels. While the upper tier wines can be tannic and difficult to understand in their youth, they age beautifully, normally starting to show nicely around age 6-7 and then evolving gracefully going forward. In addition to his Gigondas and Côtes du Rhône releases, Barruol continues to make wines from the northern Rhône as well, and I've included all of his currently releases here.