The wines of Saint Cosme, Rhone, France

The wines of Saint Cosme, Rhône, France
Modern-styled negociant and estate wines from Louis Barruol's impressive Saint Cosme

Chateau de Saint Cosme, La Fouille et les Florets, 84190 Gigondas, France
Tel: +33 (0)490 658 080
E-mail: barruol@chateau-st-cosme.com
Website: www.saintcosme.com

Louis Barruol’s Saint Cosme (pronounced ‘san comm’) is located in Gigondas, in the southern Rhône. Remarkably, Barruol says that the property has been in the family since 1490 and that the family have been vignerons for 14 generations.

The estate vineyards consist of 15 hectares of old vines (around 60 years old). Viticulture is organic. Barruol also works as a negociant, an activity he began in 1997, and he makes a range of wines from both the southern and northern Rhône. Barruol calls himself a ‘negociant vigneron’, and takes as much care with these negociant wines as he does with those from his own vineyards.

Louis Barruol (right) and his son

The Saint Cosme wines are modern and fruit forward, but also fresh and complex. One of the keys to this freshness, says Barriol, is that he uses stems for the reds. Only the basic Côtes du Rhône is destemmed. These are really compelling wines, with impact and ripeness, but also freshness and definition.

THE WINES

Saint Cosme Côtes du Rhône Blanc 2011 Rhône, France
Very fruity, fresh and pretty with expressive white peach, citrus and herb notes. Textured and delicious. Over-delivers. 90/100

Saint Cosme Côtes du Rhône Rouge 2011 Rhône, France
Peppery, bright and expressive with lovely black cherry and plum fruit. Lovely grip and structure with nice black fruits, pepper and olive notes on the palate. A lovely, drinkable wine. 90/100

Château de Saint Cosme Gigondas 2010 Southern Rhône, France
Very fresh, intense, grippy and spicy with lovely firm tannins, delightful peppery notes and ripe blackberry and black cherry fruit. It’s fruit-driven, tannic, fresh and firm, all at the same time. 93/100

Saint Cosme Côte Rôtie 2009 Northern Rhône, France
Intense, rich, bold and ripe with spicy black pepper, black olives and ripe fruit. Ripe and rich in style but precise and peppery at the same time. A really stylish wine. Ripe but really compelling. 94/100