chateau de la gardine 2003

"the wine tradition of the brunel family dates back to the 17th century, but it was in 1945 that gaston brunel, a famous merchant, bought the château de la gardine. the origin of the name of the gardine is the object of controversy: the situation of the castle, which overlooks the rhone valley, suggests that it would have played a role of «guard tower». it could also come from the name of the gardini, lords of entraigues and fargues (near orange), who might have been owners. today, the estate is run by the two sons of gaston brunel, patrick and maxime, and it covers 52 hectares of vineyard in châteauneuf-du-pape. 70% of production is exported to some 30 countries. in 1998, anticipating the progression of the terroirs of lirac, the family decided to acquire the château saint roch, about forty hectares offering a very interesting quality/price ratio. a dynamic trading activity is also conducted, highlighting the diversity of the rhone valley thanks to the relationships of trust and demand that patrick brunel has for its supply to the winegrowers of the region. the brunel family has, in recent years, produced great efforts on respect for the environment: biodiversity (20 ha of forest around the vines), controlled grassing, monitoring of diseases by modelling, vinification with minimalist use of sulphur, and use of native yeasts. the vines are divided into four types of soil: the rolled pebbles of the alpine diluvium (bringing body), the limestones of urgonian (necessary for minerality), and the brown soils and saffron (for finesse and elegance). the harvest is manual, in small cases, and the ageing lasts 9 to 14 months in vats and barrels of 2 to 6 wines. on the nose, this wine is very aromatic, offering mainly aromas of violet and liquorice. on the palate, the tannins are silky but ample at the same time."