All older vintage wines have been purchased from a single collectors cellar. Pictures can be requested before shipment.
On the palate, it reveals a fresh attack followed by an ample, structured, long-lasting finish. The wine unfurls in successive stages and ends with top-quality tannins produced by whole cluster fermentation. It features aromas and flavors of smoked ham, violet, graphite, graphite, and licorice.
Review:
A refined, fine-textured and precise Cote-Rotie with aromas of cherries, wild berries, wild herbs, bark and baking spices. Medium-bodied with finely grained tannins. There is a vibrant and spicy character at the center, with a succulent, precise and lively expression toward the long finish. Try after 2026.
-James Suckling 95 Points
Chateau de Saint Cosme Gigondas is made from 70% Grenache, 15% Mourvèdre, 14% Syrah, 1% Cinsaut.
The wine shows intense blackberry and fig fruit with licorice, violets, and charcoal on the finish. It is remarkably fresh and finessed given the sun and warmth of the southern Rhône. The unique micro-climate combined with 60-year-old vines and traditional winemaking make Château de Saint Cosme Gigondas the benchmark wine of the appellation.
Review:
Leading off the Gigondas, the base 2020 Gigondas has lots of black raspberry, ground pepper, and violets notes as well as a round, supple, silky style on the palate. It should be approachable on release, yet it has plenty of mid-palate depth as well as tannins, and I have no doubt it will evolve for 20 years if properly stored.
-Jeb Dunnuck 91-93 Points
Hominis Fides is typically the most elegant of Château de Saint Cosme’s three single-vineyard Gigondas. “Grenache grown in the sandy soil produces marvelously textured wines as well as extremely refined tannins; a very special and stylish wine,” says Louis Barruol. The wine features aromas and flavors of pepper, truffle, graphite, and smoke.
Grenache is the pale-colored, red-fruited, and potpourri-scented red grape variety of the southern Rhône and can be paired with both rustic and sophisticated dishes. Full-bodied Grenache-based wines are ideal with stews, braises, and grilled meats, while lighter versions can work well with dark fish and tomato-based dishes such as ratatouille.
Review:
Deep, vivid ruby-red. Intensely perfumed, mineral-tinged scents of medicinal cherry, redcurrant and cassis are complemented by suggestions of star anise, white pepper and pungent flowers. It offers densely packed bitter cherry, red berry liqueur, lavender and licorice flavors that open up very slowly with air. Extremely primary but highly promising, with a long, spice- and mineral-tinged finish shaped by youthfully firming tannins. Made with 100% whole clusters; raised in barriques, one-third of them new.
-Vinous 95-97 Points
Chateau de Saint Cosme Gigondas Le Claux is made from 95% Grenache, 5% Syrah.
Château de Saint Cosme is the leading estate of Gigondas and produces the benchmark wines of the appellation. The property has been in the hands of the Barruol family since 1490. Louis Barruol took over from his father in 1992 making a dramatic shift to quality and converting to biodynamics in 2010.
Château de Saint Cosme Gigondas Le Claux is the estate’s oldest vineyard and sits near the entrance to the winery. “It was first planted in 1870 following phylloxera. My uncles thought it wasn’t producing enough fruit and planned to uproot it in 1914,” says Louis Barruol, but “World War I interrupted that plan.”
The 1.8-hectare Le Claux—meaning “Clos” in old French—is a field blend of predominately Grenache. Louis Barruol believes 10% of the vineyard is from the original 1870 planting. Vines are replaced by massal selection and the average vine age is 60-years. The wine is made with whole cluster fermentation from indigenous yeasts, is aged in 20% new 228-liter barrels, and bottled without fining or filtration.
Tasting Notes
Brilliant violet color. Displays pungent, mineral- and spice-accented cherry, black raspberry, potpourri and licorice aromas, along with hints of savory herbs, vanillo and incense. Chewy and tightly focused on the palate, offering bitter cherry, dark berry and Moroccan spice flavors that unfurl slowly through the back half. It closes with firm tension, chewy tannins and excellent tenacity, leaving resonating cherry and floral notes behind. All barriques, a third of them new.
-Vinous 95-97 Points
All older vintage wines have been purchased from a single collectors cellar. Pictures can be requested before shipment.
Ferren Chardonnay Volpert Vineyard is 100 percent Chardonnay.
At the end of Taylor Lane outside of the coastal village of Occidental lies Volpert Vineyard. With the Pacific Ocean in sight, this vineyard resides at the far western edge of the West Sonoma Coast AVA. As such, this may be the source of our most high-toned and mineral laden wines. Owned by the Volpert family and farmed organically by Greg Adams, these five acres of heritage clone Pinot noir and Chardonnay are at the absolute cutting edge of Sonoma Coast viticulture.
Review:
Aromatic and distinctive, with a hint of smoked sea salt up front. Offers flavors of pear, yellow apple and peach at the core, with lime zest and herbal accents of lemon verbena, lemon balm and honeysuckle, plus a touch of fresh ginger. All of the flavors reverberate with fresh acidity and cardamom details on the finish. Drink now through 2038.—M.W."
- Wine Spectator (May 2025), 95 pts