{"product_id":"jeanne-gaillard-syrah-terres-de-mandrin-2023","title":"Jeanne Gaillard, Syrah \"Terres de Mandrin\"  2023","description":"\u003cp\u003eMade by the daughter of one of the Rhône Valley's most celebrated winemakers, this is a tranche of Syrah that is astonishingly well-made, focussed and delicious. The strange thing being that it is not from one of the famed Cru appellations and is less expensive because of it! Strange but true, and really good news!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a delicious Syrah that comes from three communes around their home town of Malleval. These communes actually sit on the border of three départments - Loire, Ardèche and the Rhône - and represent the wonderful patchwork of terroirs and the blurred boundaries that are far more common in viticulture than our text-book reading of appellations would have us believe!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJet black at the core with a vivid red rim and flavours of blackberry and black cherry that jump out of the glass; this is such a generous wine form the get-go, you just know it'll be good! The palate is silky and soft with deliciously ripe tannins and a mid-weighted body that carries loads of black fruit and overripe strawberry flavours that are decorated by gorgeous notes of smoke and spice. It's just so good. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is made from a highly selective and careful sorting of grapes, with some bunches and berries sorted on the vines themselves. This care and attention is an obvious family trait as you'll see if you have had any of the wines of Jeanne's father, Pierre. The wines are made traditionally and use a much higher level of wood contact than those of her father; this Syrah is aged exclusively in large wooden vats for over 12 months and in this way over-achieves at its price point. It is seriously silky stuff!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI first met Jeanne's father Pierre in a wine fair in Germany, after I had started working with one of his projects that aimed to highlight the wines from even further north of Côte Rôtie into the hinterland of the Seyssuel. He is a big chap and has very large, strong and powerful hands. But what bowled-over was just how gentle, kind and patient this man was, and how this was totally reflected in his wines. They are elegant and refined and perfumed and attractive - all over-delivering at their price-point, which in truth is just an added bonus. I met him again just as the harvest was beginning in 2025 and he was the same gentle giant, only this time in his home (that's us tasting together in his \"office\"). I also met Jeanne, who makes this and other wines (pictured here pouring her dad a glass of wine), and her brother Pierre-Antoine, who had just come in from harvesting in Condrieu. The children share the same humility and obsessive-like quest to understand the soils of their regions that their father has, adding a new layer to this captivating story, a beautiful part of the fabric of this incredible appellation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2023 presented a number of climate-related challenges in Europe, the Rhône included. A very dry winter, heavy spring rains and a colossal heat-wave in the summer. These factors meant that winemakers had to adapt and react constantly in order to protect the vines and grapes. However, they're pretty good at this by now and the quality of grapes that the Gaillard family managed in their winery was outstanding, largely helped by a dry and warm (if very quick) harvest. Places like Côte Rôtie that are higher in altitude were able to benefit from a wide diurnal range, keeping colour and acidity, sugars and size all in balance in each of the bunches of grapes. It was at times a wild vintage, but there is good volume of wine and the quality is very fine indeed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePhilippe Pellaton, President of Inter Rhône, notes: “Weather conditions were more chaotic in the North than in the South of the Rhône Valley, leading to a shorter harvest. That being said, both quality and quantity are there, throughout the region. The 2023 vintage for the wines of AOC Côtes du Rhône and the Rhône Valley Vineyards appears to be a great vintage for blending: full, dense, balanced and with lovely acidity levels.”\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Alliance","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55454300406094,"sku":"GAILLARDSYRAH","price":24.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0512\/4082\/9106\/files\/1_dab9b584-b0e0-4e51-9f44-9a89e4bd8e1f.png?v=1773400457","url":"https:\/\/www.theallotment.ie\/products\/jeanne-gaillard-syrah-terres-de-mandrin-2023","provider":"The Allotment Wine Company","version":"1.0","type":"link"}