2023 Domaine Brusset "Les Hauts de Montmirail" Gigondas

This has good depth of fruit, with menthol-spiked blackberry and raspberry flavour. It's considerably more concentrated than many this year, and also very well balanced, with good acidity, moderate alcohol, fine tannin, good concentration and a long finish. Very good. Pure and fine. In conversion to organic. (MW)

There's plenty of ripeness -- blackberry, licorice and plum -- atop the iron bedrock, with appealing meatiness throughout. The tannins are ripe in feel, keeping a gentle hold on the salt-streaked finish, marked by plum skin bitterness. Shows impressive depth, complexity and drinkability. Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. (KB)

I find Brusset's "Les Hauts" more brooding in style compared to the "Tradition." The wine has a deeper, fuller nose of both red and black fruit with hints of black olive and pepper. The palate is round and full with darker fruit flavors and a bit more weight. It's a compact and nuanced Gigondas with a lengthy finish.

I don't know what they're putting in the soil in Gigondas but it seems that the recent new releases coming out of this southern Rhone Valley sub-region have been top notch. Enter Domaine Brusset. Established in 1947 by Andre Brusset in Carianne, the Domaine farms 70 hectares across Gigondas, Carianne, Rasteau, Cote-du-Rhone, and Ventoux. Though they have White Grenache, Viognier, Roussanne, and Clairette, 90% of their production is red - Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, and Carignan. Certified HVE and organic. The 2023 Domaine Brusset Les Hauts De Montmirail Gigondas is a serious wine with great structure and... A blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre, the Les Hauts is deep, rich, savory, and gamey, leading with the more powerful Syrah and Mourvèdre grapes. Blackberry, blueberry, chocolate, round out the fruits. This wine sees French oak, some new, giving it sweet spice and complexity. This is a great selection for that day you decide to fire up the grill!