In this village at the foot of the Dentelles de Montmirail, vines have been cultivated since Antiquity and Gigondas comes from the Latin "Jucunditas" which means joy and gladness. The village of Gigondas has preserved statutes proving that wine was already sold there in 1591. But in 1865, phylloxera (a North American aphid that attacks the vine at the root, weakens and kills it) destroyed most of the French vineyards, including Gigondas. Olive trees were then cultivated, but they did not resist the great freezes of 1926 and 1956. The vineyard then redeveloped on all the hillsides and thanks to Eugène Raspail (known for his geological work in the Dentelles de Montmirail massif).

After winning numerous medals in French agricultural competitions, Gigondas was officially promoted to the rank of "cru" on January 6, 1971.

Today, the Gigondas AOC covers a little more than 1200 hectares of vineyards and counts more than a hundred winegrowers working within the appellation. The figures for 2021 indicate a total production of 33236 hectoliters (99% red Gigondas and 1% rosé Gigondas) with a yield of 27.80 hectoliters per hectare. We note that 32% of the production was reserved for export.

But the history of Gigondas continues to evolve Indeed, after more than eleven years of procedure to modify the specifications and extend the AOC Gigondas to white wines, the INAO gave a positive verdict last September 8. There are currently about ten winegrowers wishing to plant white grape varieties.

THE TERROIR OF GIGONDAS

With its steep slopes on the edge of the Dentelles de Montmirail, the Gigondas vineyards offers a unique landscape and geological ensemble. This unusual geology in the Rhone Valley is the result of phenomena from the secondary, tertiary and quartenary eras, giving rise to soils conducive to complex wines.

In Gigondas we find different types of soils but they all have the particularity of being rich in clay: marl and limestone soils for the hillsides (bringing body and finesse to the wine), clay and limestone soils for the terraces (roundness and finesse) and sandy-clay soils offering subtle and elegant wines.

The vineyard of Gigondas benefits from various exposures and a southern climate of Provencal influence. There are about 2800 hours of sunshine per year. It is a hot and dry climate but the massif attenuates the rise in temperature and to brings freshness. Indeed, the vineyards are planted between 200 and 500 meters of altitude, which allows the grapes to preserve an interesting level of acidity and freshness. The Mistral wind also plays a crucial role since it reduces rainfall, thus limiting vine diseases and protecting the vines from frost.

In the Gigondas appellation, the following grape varieties are authorized: Grenache noir, the main grape variety representing 50% of the blends, Mourvèdre and Syrah as complementary grape varieties, as well as about fifteen accessory grape varieties such as Bourboulenc, Cinsaut, Clairette, Roussanne, Marsanne, Piquepoul and Muscardin... Generally speaking, Gigondas wines have the reputation of being elegant, smooth and made for ageing.