A combination of 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah (100%
destemmed), two-thirds aged in foudre and one-third in small barrels, the 2007
Gigondas Vieilles Vignes exhibits superb raspberry and black cherry fruit,
licorice, crushed rock, and spice box notes. It is a fuller-bodied, deeper,
more concentrated effort displaying additional structure as well as fruit
depth. Consume it over the next 7-10 years.
This large, exclusively Vacqueyras domaine has 100 acres spread throughout the
appellation. Perhaps they produce too many cuvees, but there is unquestionably
a lot of good wine to be found from Maison Arnoux et Fils. The wines differ
slightly in both blends and upbringings, with the most traditional cuvees, such
as Vieux Clocher, Arnoux et Fils, Jean-Marie Arnoux, and Chapelle St.-Arnoux,
undergoing typical upbringings of only tank or ancient foudres (no new oak).
The Seigneur de Lauris is aged in a combination of foudres and small barrels.
The 1717 sees 100% new oak barrels, and the Vieilles Vignes is kept in both
small and large oak barrels. - Rated 89-91 by Robert Parker
