Domaine Raspail-Ay 2022 Gigondas 750ml

The 2022 Gigondas offers kirsch, Provençal spice, Provençal olives, leather, and loamy earth. Based on 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and 10% Mourvèdre and raised in traditional old oak foudres with the Syrah in barrels and demi-muids, it's medium to full-bodied, has the sunny, perfumed, complex style of the vintage, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It's beautifully textured and just a gem of a Gigondas that readers should buy a case of to drink over the coming two decades. Drink 2026-2046.

Score: 94 points -- Jeb Dunnock, jebdunnock.com, 2026

Christophe Ay and his sister Anne-Sophie represent the seventh generation at this venerable family-run estate. Owners of 19 hectares in Gigondas, they produce only Gigondas, and only a single cuvée each year. Plantings are 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 10% Mourvèdre, all on the plain in front of the village, not on any of the high-elevation sites in the Dentelles. The grapes are all destemmed, then fermented in vats using indigenous yeasts before élevage in old foudres for at least two years. Christophe points out that the mildew attack in May-June 2018 left small yields of only 15-16 hectoliters per hectare, but the resulting wines have good acidity and long aging potential. He compares it to 2015 or 2007 (both excellent vintages at this address).