2019 Domaine Font Du Vent – Famille Gonnet, Châteauneuf du Pape “Cuvée Etienne Gonnet” Lieu-Dix La Crau, Rhône Valley, France.
A beautifully proportioned and simply delicious Grenache driven Châteauneuf rouge, from Domaine Gonnet, with good fruit density and a nice cool tone to the full bodied palate with black raspberry, boysenberry, plum, blueberry and dark currant fruits, along with subtle loamy earth, licorice, a touch of pepper, dark lilac florals and sage notes. I don’t remember having Gonnet before and I was left impressed by the 2019’s balance and while still youthfully grippy, it has a very user friendly easy charm with no flashy oak or harshness to hold back the pure joy in the glass. This was maybe not the most serious Châteauneuf, but it was very nice with a chilly Winter evening meal and left a huge smile on the faces that drank, so it was a very much a successful adventure. The supple tannins and restrained alcohol it seemed make it even more enjoyable and after an hour you got some extra dimension, depth and complexity at almost the end of this nicely put together bottle, but there were no regrets here. This Cuvée is only produced only in exceptional vintages and is sourced from 100+ years old Grenache, along with some very old Syrah and Mourvèdre vines. I think for the money, this wine holds its own and it is worth taking for a spin and I can fully recommend it for those not trying to impress others, but want to please themselves with a meal without pretense, it should serve you well, especially with wild mushroom dishes, lamb and or game bird dishes.
The Domaine Famille Gonnet, which originally dates back some one hundred and eighty years, is located in the southeast of the Châteauneuf du Pape AOC and started with some humble acreage, but now after recently expanding their land holdings to include significant lieu dit parcels , the Gonnet family decided to rebrand their Domaine Famille Gonnet, Chateauneuf du Pape wines under their family brand Font du Vent label, as seen here. In 1950 Etienne Gonnet, created Famille Gonnet with vines planted across 30 hectares of adjoining land and began his wine to negociants, but hoped to bottle his own wine some day, which sadly didn’t happen until after his death, so this wine is a tribute to him. It should be noted that the Cuvée Etienne Gonnet is all about the sublime terroir and historic Galet strewn La Crau vineyard, one of Châteauneuf’s most prized, and where the heart of the legendary Vieux Telegraphe comes from. These vines sit on round pebbles on the surface, with loads of sand, clay and limestone soil with Gonnet’s plot on the “The Plateau La Crau” that is comprised of 70 % Grenache, 15 % Syrah and 15 % Mourvèdre. Gonnet does 100% de-stemmed grapes here and a natural yeast fermentation in old wood vats with about a 30 days maceration before being pressed over to large neutral demi muids and or large ancient round vat to mature. The Mourvèdre plays an important role, with subtle influence, getting into the lush Grenache fruit, adding a touch of sauvage and meatiness, which comes through here and helps lift the performance, as seen in this vintage. Again, not an overly thrilling wine, but a solid effort and one I would have, should have, bought a few bottles more.
($45 Est.) 92 Points, grapelive