Gour de Chaulé
| Vigneron | Paul Fumoso |
| Location | Gigondas (Vaucluse) |
| Size of Domaine | 10 ha |
| Terroir | Mediterranean climate, Mistral (northern wind) influence. Triassic marls, Miocene sands, limestone and clay. 100-270m altitude. |
| Viticulture | Certified organic (Ecocert) |
| View Gour de Chaulé wines ↓ |
We are delighted to be working with Domaine Gour de Chaulé where the driven Paul Fumoso has taken over the reins from his mother Stéphanie (who remains involved on the commercial side of the business).
The domaine dates back to the 19th century and it currently holds 10ha of Gigondas split across 24 parcels. 70% of the vineyards are in the heart of the appellation on the higher slopes with fine soils that combine Triassic marls with Miocene sands (locally called 'safre'). The other 30% are on red clays lower down the hill, nearer the plain. The sandy safres, in particular, yield fruit with pronounced finesse and a nicely harnessed tannic content giving real ageing potential to the wines. Many of the vines are on tiny strips of land no bigger than a hectare surrounded by Aleppo pines, oak trees and mature woodlands whose essences fill the air with lingering scents. Swept clean by the Mistral the vines enjoy an outstanding natural environment.
Paul, in his mid-twenties, has attacked the profession with rare gusto and energy, tasting widely, swapping ideas with many sommeliers and top growers in other regions – analysing what works and what doesn’t. He’s not a fan of either syrah or mourvèdre in the area, so out they come to be replaced by carignan, counoise and cinsault to bolster a 90% grenache-based wine for the main cuvée. They have been working organically for 15 years, certified in 2020, planting trees and hedges to encourage biodiversity. The vineyards average 50-60yo, primarily in old bush-form 'gobelet' vines. He prefers "clean vineyards" to minimise competition in this super dry, hot location – so he ploughs from April to July and uses interceps to control grass and weed growth.
In the cave, Paul revamped the harvest reception process and introduced a brand new destemmer to better preserve the bunches' integrity (preventing the grapes from being crushed). "Éxtraction douce" is paramount at Gour de Chaulé – Paul practices gentle remontages using a CO2 gun, with no pigeages, and he likes a long 30-day cuvaison. He uses whole bunches if happy with the qualities they bring – from just 20% to around 60%, this varies each year depending on the phenolic ripeness of both the stems and pips. Ageing occurs in a combination of foudres (36hl and 60hl) and cement tanks (some are egg-shaped), and the 'vin de presse' (aged separately) is only assembled if deemed worthwhile. SO2 is added in small amounts throughout winemaking, from 'encuvage' to bottling, reaching a total of 60mg/l. The wines are bottled in three separate 'mises', neither fined nor filtered, after 14 to 18 months of élevage (we prefer and select the later bottling).
Gour de Chaulé’s wines are distinguished by their finesse and elegance, with a very lifted and 'digeste' style – they stand out in an appellation and region often associated with power and rusticity – and there's no doubt that Paul's determination and talent will firmly establish him as one of the leading vignerons in the Rhône Valley.
Gour de Chaulé Wines
GIGONDAS 2021
Tradition
90% Grenache, 10% Counoise, Cinsault, Carignan, Mourvèdre, Syrah
90% Grenache, 10% Counoise, Cinsault, Carignan, Mourvèdre, Syrah (13.5% alc.)
This comes from 24 parcels around the village, 70% from the hillsides and principally sandy soils (see profile) that confer a lot of finesse to the wine, and 30% from down the hill (around Santa Duc) on red clay that brings generosity and depth. With 30% whole bunches in 2021, it was vinified in cement, aged for 18 months (two-thirds in cement tanks and one-third in old foudres), then bottled unfined and unfiltered. There is a touch of reduction on the nose that soon wafts away – reduction is key for Paul who seeks to enhance a delicate 'touché de bouche', and one of the reasons why he much prefers cement to oak barrels. As ever, his touch is spot on – the nose is floral, herbal, and spicy with red fruits to the fore, the extraction is pitch-perfect with great balance and finesse, much more than you would expect from a Gigondas, and the fruit has a very pure and lifted quality. For drinking now to 2030.
GIGONDAS 2021
Le Gour
99% Grenache, 1% Syrah
99% Grenache, 1% Syrah (13.5% alc.)
A fabulous wine from a single 0.8ha parcel of 80yo vines from the hillside vineyard of Le Gour, right next to the domaine. Here the old gobelet grenaches dominate, planted in a dense, sandy terroir of 'safres' which suits the vines perfectly, allowing for quick drainage and perfect maturity. It’s quite rare to find a single vineyard parcel in an area where blending is the norm. Made from 25% whole bunches, the wine was aged in one 19hl concrete egg for 18 months before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. It has a beautiful pale red, almost Gevrey colour and is a wine of incredible finesse. Mid to full-bodied, it offers a floral nose (violets and wild rose) with raspberry and blood orange fruit on the palate, notes of pine, menthol, and spice, a lick of salinity and very fine-grained tannins. Simply put, this is one of the finest reds we've tried from the Southern Rhône!