(90-92) Due to the tiny yields, there won’t be a Racines, but the 2023 Gigondas Terrasse Du Diable offers a solid ruby hue to go with a deeper, richer nose of black cherries, roasted garrigue, licorice, and crushed stone. It’s medium-bodied and has a supple, elegant mouthfeel and outstanding length.
(93) A great vintage for this cuvée, the 2022 Gigondas Terrasse Du Diable comes from higher elevation sites and pure limestone soils. (It’s mostly Grenache.) Rocking levels of kirsch, ripe cherries, chalky minerality, melted licorice, and white flowers all define the aromatics, and it’s medium to full-bodied, has a round, layered mouthfeel, and a great finish. It’s one hell of a sexy, ripe, impossible-to-resist Gigondas.
(91) Solid, showing cherry and plum paste notes laced with singed tobacco, alder and red tea. The sneaky long finish has a nice chalky thread. Grenache, Mourvèdre and Clairette. Drink now through 2026. 585 cases imported.
(90) This offers some nice substance, locked up behind subtly firm tannins that are beginning to unfurl. Smoked oolong tea and cured meat flavors give this a savory edge, with notes of graphite shavings dusting plum skin and stewed cherry. Grenache, Mourvèdre and Clairette. Best from 2025 through 2030.
(93) A blend of 90% Grenache Noir and 10% Mourvèdre, the 2022 Gigondas Terrasse du Diable from the Brunier Family (which also owns Domaine Vieux Télégraphe) reveals aromas of dark cherries, mulberries and spices mingled with delicate notes of garrigue. Medium to full-bodied, ample and enrobing, it’s velvety on attack with good depth at the core and a long, precise and delicate finish. This is a charming, beautifully executed Gigondas that promises to age gracefully over the next decade or more.
At once fresh, meaty and earthy, with candied orange freshness. This is concentrated and elegant, with crisp tannins that drive it over the medium-to-full-bodied palate. There’s terrific mountain freshness in the vibrant finish. A cuvee based on grenache with some mourvedre, mostly from high-altitude vineyards. Drink or hold. 95 pts
85 % de grenache, dont 40 % non égrappé et 15 % de mourvèdre, qui culminent à 400 mètres d’altitude, élevés 20 mois en foudre. C’est un bouquet capiteux de roses anciennes. Les premières notes de pruneau et de figue apparaissent et s’associent aux tanins encore marqués. Il faut l’oublier avec sérénité.
16,5. Cask sample. Crushed red fruits, garrigue. The nose is spiced ans has crushed strawberry, sweet fruit and nice, structured tannins. Applealing and needs some years, but well balanced ; the alcohol is not overpowering and there is a freshness to the finish.
Drink 2024 – 2030
90. The 2021 Gigondas Terrasse du Diable is another limestone bomb with it’s pretty black raspberries, white truffle, chalky, and white flower-like aromas and flavor. Medium-bodied, elegant, and silky on the palate, it has fine tannins, wonderful balance, and outstanding length. Drink bottles over the coming decade.
91-93. The 2022 Gigondas Terrasse du Diable showed brilliantly, with a ripe, sexy style that reeks of limestone, black raspberries, white flowers, chalky minerality, and hints of truffle. Coming from a higher elevation parcel and mostly Grenache, this balanced, layered, elegant Gigondas will shine right out of the gate yet have 15 years of longevity.
93 pts. Here’s a rich, but beautifully crafted Gigondas that’s brimming with red fruits and spice. Also notes of licorice and rosemary. Impressive interplay of generous earthy tannins and damson plum richness at the ample finish. Drink or hold.
95. Very dense and complex with aromas ranging from black plum to wild thyme, as well as hints of candied orange, smoke and dry earth. In spite of all the richness and concentration of this imposing Gigondas, the slightly rustic tannins give this a lot of drive and accentuate the freshness. Long, chalky finish. Drink or hold.
94-95. Deep nose of damson plum and ripest blackberry with subtle savory, soy sauce and wild herb notes. Very powerful and expansive palate with a majoy tannin structure that gives this a lot of drive and energy. Long, concentrated finish with impressive freshness for this appellation. A blend of 90% grenache, 5% mourvèdre, and 5% clairette.
91-93+. Moving to the two 2019s from barrel, the 2019 Gigondas Terrasse Du Diable showed beautifully, with lots of red and blue fruits intermixed with notes of candied violets, cracked black pepper, and violets. It’s rich, medium to full-bodied, has a touch more mid-palate density than the 2018, and enough tannins to warrant a year or three of bottle age.
92. Moving to the two 2018s, the 2018 Gigondas Terrasse Du Diable is primarily Grenache that comes from higher elevation, terraced vineyards in the eastern side of the Gigondas appellation. Offering lots of spiced red fruits, dried fruits, graphite, and some obvious minerality, this beauty is medium to full-bodied, has a seamless, elegant texture, and a great finish. It’s another no brainer Gigondas from this estate to enjoy over the next 10-15 years.
91-93. Mostly Grenache from terraced, higher elevation sites in the Gigondas, the 2018 Gigondas Terrasse Du Diable offers a beautiful perfume of kirsch and ripe red fruits as well as loads of spice, graphite, and peppery herbs. With plenty of sweet fruit, solid mid-palate depth, ripe tannins, and beautiful finish, it has plenty of upfront appeal and will keep for over a decade.
92-93. The fruit for this is sourced from elevated terrasses (above 300m) and the depth and righ, dark cherries and plums are stunning. Rich red plums, mulberries, chocolate and plenty of tannin here. Sapid, chalky finish. A blend of 85% grenache and 15% mourvedre. 70% de-stemmed and 30% crushed with stems. Drink or hold.
93-95. The 2018 Gigondas Terrasse du Diable comes from yields that ended up being approximately hald of the average for the estate (only 11 hectoliters per hectare). It’s full-bodied, with a rich yet silky texture, ripe flavors of cherries and raspberries and a long finish that hints at clove and licorice. The exact blend for the domaine’s wines was yet to be finalized when I tasted this sample, but historically, this cuvée is about 85% Grenache and 15% Mourvèdre.
On est en présence d’un bel exemple de ce qu’a pu produire 2017 en matière « d’austérité relative » ; un nez assez fermé, difficile à déchiffrer où l’on perçoit tout de même de la profondeur, de la richesse, des fruits noirs, c’est légèrement herbacé aussi ; on sent au premier nez le potentiel de vieillissement, c’est assez rare. La bouche est d’une belle densité, c’est droit et aérien ; on est sur la branche de thym, la garrigue, le mentholé tout cela dans cette ambiance de fruits noirs qui persiste ; la fraicheur est évidente et c’est là le paradoxe du millésime, une telle fraicheur issue d’un été si chaud, si sec ; qui peut soutenir encore que l’effet terroir est une vue de l’esprit ? Belle longueur en fin de bouche, on retrouve l’austérité dans la structure tanique à laquelle il faudra encore quelques temps pour trouver une vraie maturité.
The Grenache is turned up to 90% for this high-altitude cuvée. The vines (averaging only fifty years) are planted on terraces that nestle against the imposing limestone cliffs of the Dentelles de Montmirail. For those of you who just can’t wait, open the Terrasse du Diable a good two or three hours before serving. Notes of black olive and licorice, mint, eucalyptus, and rosemary will soon fill the room. For those who can, in five to ten years, the brooding youthfulness will start to mature and you’ll be rewarded with … well, we don’t yet know. But if past vintages are any indication, you’ll be very happy with your foresight to put a few bottles away.
94. Lots of violets and blue fruit with cinnamon and dark stony aromas. Baking spices, too. On the palate, there’s black fruit and an attractive, bitter-herb kick, with very dense tannins and a powerful, compressed feel. Lithe, juicy blue-fruit finish. Very focused, dense and long. Drink or hold.
92-94+. Also not yet bottled, the 2017 Gigondas Terrasse Du Diable is rocking stuff and has a mouthwatering sense of salinity and mineratliy as well as the classic kirsch, garrigue, and peppery aromas this cuvée always possesses. Medium to full-bodied, balanced, and nicely concentrated, with ripe tannins, it’s going to keep for 15 years of more.
91-93. From a cool sute at 300-400 meters above sea level, the 2017 Gigondas Terrasse du Diable is a blend of 85% Grenache and 15% Mourvèdre. It boasts knockout aromas of ciolets, garrigue and purple raspberries, with an undercurrent of black cherries. It’s full-bodied and concentrated, with bright, crunchy acids. The overall impression is of a wine with sharper edges that the harmonious 2016 or 2018. Cellar it a couple of years and then enjoy it over the following decade.
***(*) (large 60 hl barrel, bottling summer 2019) clear, shiny red colour. The nose is floral, resembles Pez sweets, is tender, with good crystalline virtues, a peppery backdrop; it holds up safely. The palate links to the nose via its rose fragrance, develops a toffee-caramel aspect from the oak,shows that late on. This is a one-off young foudre/large barrel, which skews it somewhat. This extols purity, doesn’t have many hidden corners. “It has refined, was a bit hard before, the tannins demanding, from a dry vintage,” Daniel Brunier. 14.8°. From 2021. 2038-40
93-94. Black-stone and garrigue aromas. Black fruit, salt licorice and spices. Attractive, bitter-herb kick. Mouthwatering finish. Very concentrated aromas and flavors. This elevated site has a very focused, dense an intense feel. Barrel sample.
(91-94). From 50-year-old vines grown at 300-400 meters above sea level, the 2017 Gigondas Terrasse du Diable is a blend of 85% Grenache and 15% Mourvèdre. It’s medium to full-bodied, with a silky feel and notes of black cherries, orange zest and a bit of peppery spice on the finish.
95. Wild, garrigue herbs and dark berries in a fresh style with violets and dried roses. There‘s a savory, tarry, salt-licorice edge in the mouth. Moody wine. Silky, lozenge-like, glossy and polished tannins. Dark fruit and dark chocolate with a kick of bitter herbs. Finishes with impressive freshness and effortless depth. Charming. Drink or hold.
(92-94). Tasted prior to its July bottling, the 2016 Gigondas Terrasse du Diable is an outstanding effort. Fine garrigue nuances and piney scents bring depth and complexity to the ripe black cherry and raspberry fruit. Full-bodied, silky, long and elegant, with lingering thyme and savory notes on the finish, it shouldn’t be missed.
shows alluring cherry and damson plum fruit, and is focused and racy, all without the dusty structure that often lingered in earlier vintages.
(92-94). Bright violet. Ripe cherries and red berry liqueur on the perfumed nose, joined by a smoky nuance that builds in the backround. Shows impressive power and depth on the palate, offering sappy raspberry and candied cherry flavors complicated by hints of candied lavender and licorice. Finishes gently tannic and impressively long, delivering solid punch and leaving a sexy floral note behind.
DOMAINE LES PALLIERES TERRASSE DU DIABLE 2016 ****
(large barrel, bottling June 2018) shiny red robe. The nose kips along attractive red fruits, raspberry, with white pepper, rose muskiness. It is more fat than usual, also has spice and soaked cherries or griottes, dried herbs. The palate is also rich, textured, even unctuous, holds the abundance of 2016, the generosity, along with a good line of mineral, freshness, lift on the finish. It will develop well, has both flesh and depth. 15.2°.
From 2021. 2037-39 Oct 2017
(91 – 93). Both Gigondas bottlings look even better in 2016 than 2015, based on the prospective blends presented by Daniel Brunier when I visited Vieux Telegraphe. The Domaine Les Pallieres 2016 Gigondas Terrasse du Diable was remarkably expressive, velvety and long, with its blueberry, cherry and spice notes covering up any semblance of heat.
92-95. Starting with the 2016s, these are the finest wines I’ve tasted from this estate. The 2016 Gigondas Terrasses du Diable comes from higher elevation, limestone soils and is a full-bodied, tight, focused effort that has bright acidity, masses of tannin and classic notes of black cherries, leafy herbs, pepper and searing minerality. It’s terrific but will benefit from a few years of bottle age.
93. Dark and focused, with cassis, blackberry and black currant flavors spliced together, racing along atop mouthwatering bramble, lavender and rosemary accents. A bright iron streak pierces the finish, adding life and range. Best from 2019 through 2027. 2,600 cases made.
89. The beautiful cherry fruit of the Domaine Les Pallieres 2015 Gigondas Terrasse du Diable is accompanied by ample weight and silky tannins. Unfortunately, the licorice-tinged finish also comes with a sensation of warmth from elevated alcohol.
94. The 2015s are also brilliant, and if not for the 2016s, I’d say best yet. The 2015 Gigondas Terrasses du Diable sports a ruby color as well as considerable polish and elegance in its blackberry, black cherry, garrigue and mineral-drenched style. Full-bodied, concentrated, loaded with spice, and beautifully textured, it’s a knockout 2015 to drink over the coming decade.
(89-92). A bigger, richer barrel sample, with some chewy, meaty, dark fruit characteristics and lots of roasted herbs, the 2015 Gigondas Terrasses de Diable is full-bodied and supple, with sweet tannin and lots of fruit.
91. Also seriously impressive, the 2014 Gigondas Terrasses de Diable is another elegant, medium-bodied and impeccably balanced effort from this estate. And while I consider 2014 a difficult vintage for Gigondas, it was interesting to hear Daniel Brunier comment that this was his favorite vintage. Coming from more limestone and clay soils further up in the Dentelles, it offers outstanding notes of black cherries, framboise, garrigue and Asian spice, solid mid-palate depth, fine tannin and a lengthy finish. It too has the class to evolve for a decade.
(91-93) : Deep ruby. Black raspberry, cherry compote and garrigue on the powerfully scented nose. Sweet and expansive on the palate, offering vibrant red and blue fruit flavors and a subtle hint of candied licorice that gains strengh with air. Finishes on a smoky red berry note, with impressive thrust and smooth, even tannins that fold into the wine’s juicy fruit.
15.5-16 / 20. Ce vin provient d’une parcelle d’altitude. Il contient 5% de Clairette. Fraîcheur et finesse le caractérisent. Il prend des notes de menthol, de bégétal noble et de fruit très pur. Gracieux, mais avec un coeur de bouche serré, c’est un modèle de Gigondas raffiné à l’accent septentrional.
92 : Dark ruby. Candied red berries, cherry compote and potpourri on the highly pungent nose ; mineral element adds vivacity. Energetic black raspberry and bitter cherry flavors show excellent clarity and a hint of licorice pastille that builds as the wine opens up. The energetic finish repeats the floral and mineral notes, while supple tannins lend shape and grip.
(87-89). Both cuvées on this vintage are impressive, possibly oustanding efforts. The Terrasse du Diable is perfumed and pretty, with medium-bodied richness and depty to go with sweet raspberry, spice and peppery aromas and flavors. The tannins are well-managed. It has good, not great concentration, and a balanced, elegant style that will evolve nicely.
89. A perfumy style, with singed cedar and dark tea notes wafting up from the core of red currant and bitter cherry fruit. A hint of iron lines the taut, cedar-edged finish. Drink now through 2016. Tasted twice, with consistent notes
91. It’s oustanding. Coming from the upper, cooler terraces of the appellation, it exhibits ample garrigue, dried spices, dried soil and toast to go with medium to full-bodied richness, beautiful depth and richness and building, fine tannin. It picks up a salty minerality with air, and while already drinking nicely, will benefit from short-term cellaring and drink well through 2024.
2011 franchit un cap en termes d’expression et d’aboutissement, Terrasse du Diable est une essence de grenache infiniment sensuelle;
Arômes profond de kirsh. Du caractère, matière tannique veloutée et équilibre parfait, race évidente? un vin de temps à redécouvrir dans 10 ans.
Vivid ruby. Heady scents of candied cherry, raspberry preserves, anise and potpourri. Shows a darker profile in the mouth, offering palate-staining blackberry and bitter cherry flavors and a strong floral quality. Picks up smokiness with air and finishes with superb focus and length and youthful tannic grip. No question that this is one of the best wines I tasted from Gigondas this year.
Bright ruby-red. Sexy, floral-accented aromas of raspberry, cherry and smoky minerals. Supple and broad on entry, then tighter in the middle, offering intense cherry and red fruit liqueur flavors. Displays very good vivacity and clarity on the long, red fruit- and floral dominated finish, which betrays only a whisper of tannins. 91-93
($49) Bright ruby-red. A complex, heady bouquet evokes candied red fruits, potpourri and Asian spices. Silky and seamless in texture, offering vibrant raspberry and bitter cherry flavors and an exotic touch of blood orange. Anise and herb notes come up with air and carry through a long, bright and focused finish. I underestimated this sexy wine last year. 93
The same blend and elevage as the ’09, the 2010 Domaine les Pallières Gigondas Terrasse du Diable is a deeper, darker rendition of the prior vintage, showing serious minerality that’s buffered by crunchy black fruits, spice, and licorice aromas. Medium to full-bodied with beautiful concentration, perfectly ripe fruit, good acidity, and plenty of length, this will be an outstanding bottle of wine that should have 10-12 years of prime drinking.
The 2010 Gigondas Terrasse du Diable reveals a deeper color as well as abundant notes of crushed rocks, strawberries, cherries and floral characteristics. With a deep, medium-bodied, fresh, lively style, it should drink well for a decade.
90-92. Vivid red. Fresh raspberry and floral aromas show impressive purity and energy. Bright, racy and focused on the palate, displaying powerful red berry and cherry flavors and hints of succulent herbs. A suave candied lavender note builds with air and carries through the red fruit-accented finish. I suspect that this wine will be approachable soon after release
sourced from the highest part of the estate, a blend of 90 per cent grenache, and five per cent each of mourvèdre and clairette, the vines are 45 years of age. The first impression is of a ripe young wine with grenache’s red fruits and some peppery herbal notes ahead of graphite-like stony scents. The palate is ripe, showing gently baked wild red berries, hints of biscuity spices and a late wave of smooth, nut-flavoured tannins. Great balance, there’s much to come in time.
Entdekung. Dass die Bruniers aus Châteauneuf-du-Pape (Vieux Télégraphe) gorsse Weine keltern, ist kein Geheimnis. Doch die ausserordentliche qualität ihres Gigondas, der alle anderen Weine der Gemeinde hinter sich liess, hat uns doch überrascht. Von beeindruckender Würze, dichte, Kraft und Länge, mit eng sitzenden Tanninen grosser Intensität une Klasse. Besitzt ausgesrochenen Charaketer, ist seinen verhältnismässig hohen Preis wert.
A blend of 85% Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre, and 5% Clairette that’s aged both in tank and foudre, the 2009 Domaine les Pallières Gigondas Terrasse du Diable comes from the upper, terraced portion of the Pallières vineyard. Showing an outstanding aromatic profile of cherry, white pepper, crushed stone, and licorice, the wine is medium to full-bodied on the palate, showing a round, supple texture, beautiful freshness, and solid fruit that’s focused by ripe tannin on the finish. A classic Gigondas, this is approachable now, but should be better in a year or two, with a decade of prime drinking.
It exhibits a light ruby color along with fresh cherry and raspberry notes intermixed with a striking minerality. Fresh, lively and refreshing, with notions of strawberry fruit on the palate, this mid-weight red should be drunk over the next 5-7 years.
The 2009 is just a step behind the estate’s finest wines to date, the 2007s. It was cropped at a frightfully low 16 hl per hectare. It boasts wonderful fresh raspberry and black cherry fruit notes intermixed with scents of crushed rocks and flowers. An unmistakable minerality leads to a medium to full-bodied, extraordinary elegant, dense, rich wine that is seemingly light across the palate despite whit must be elevated alcohols. Drink this beauty over the next decade or more.
91-93. (90% grenache and 5% each mourvedre and clairette Bright ruby. Vibrant aromas of strawberry, raspberry, Asian spices and potpourri. Suave, silky and weightless, with noteworthy finesse and a penetrating quality to the flavors of red fruits and candied rose. Very complex, spicy and incisive Gigondas. Finishes with a strong floral quality and impressive length.
Top 5 sur 50 vins dégustés.
Nez gracieux de pêche de vigne et de cerise à l\’eau-de-vie. La bouche douce, avec des tanins fins, offre un joli final sur un fruit bien mûr.
Now that partners Daniel and Frédéric Brunier and Kermit Lunch have gotten a full grasp of this complicated cool climate terroir, Les Pallières quality has soared.
Medium ruby-colored effort displaying elegant, Pinot Noir-like notes of bay leaf, strawberries, forest floor and black cherries. Peppery, spicy and well-made in a very difficult vintage for Gigondas, it should drink well for 4-6 years.
88. Medium-weight, with a slightly raisined edge to the elegant plum and fig notes. There\’s a lingering black licorice edge on the finish. Drink now through 2012. 4500 cases made.
La texture est remarquable de précision et de sensualité. Les tanins enrobés laissent parler des notes kirschées, de cuir, de poivre aussi. Rondeur et volume emplissent la bouche. Avec une côte de boeuf, un cassoulet, des viandes en sauce.
91. ($36) Deep red. High-pitched aromas of red berries and potpourri, with a vibrant mineral quality and a hint of anise. Lively and precise on the palate, offering sweet strawberry and raspberry flavors and a hint of candied flowers that gains strength with air. Impressively elegant wine with lovely finishing clarity and spicy persistence.
Now that partners Daniel and Frédéric Brunier and Kermit Lunch have gotten a full grasp of this complicated cool climate terroir, Les Pallières quality has soared.
Terrasse du Diable 2008 is a medium ruby-colored effort displaying elegant, Pinot Noir-like notes of bay leaf, strawberries, forest floor and black cherries. Peppery, spicy and well-made in a very difficult vintage for Gigondas. It should drink well for 4-6 years.
Mentioned in the 2008 successes
Looks quite an evolved crimson. Not that deep a colour. Sweet, gamey nose. Very easy to like. Casual but confident with lots of fruit right across the palate. Not as full blooded as some other vintages but really very Gigondas and less dry on the finish than some of the more ‘successful’ vintages. A very attractive drink – though not for the very long term.
Dark red. Brighter and stonier than the Racines , with scents of strawberry, redcurrant and Asian spices underscored by dusty minerals. Racy, finely etched red fruit flavors stain the palate without showing any excess weight or rough edges. With a late note of succulent herbs, this is already showing good complexity, but this taut, well-balanced wine will be even better with a few years of bottle aging. 90-92
Les Pallières Terrasse du Diable 2007 (92pts) appears in this renowned top 100 at the 67th rank.
Polished and pure, with delicious layers of plum sauce, braised fig and melted licorice that glide through the dense but silky-textured finish. hints of graphite and incense lurk in the background. Long with buried minerality. Should age nicely. Drink now through 2015. 92 pts.
(90% grenache and 5% each of mourvedre and clairette) Rubyred. Pungent smoky aromas of cherry, black raspberry, spicecake and flowers, plus a strong mineral undertone. Round and velvety on entry, the firmer in the middle, offering juicy red berry and cherry flavors with repeating smokiness. Impressively energetic on the finish, which echoes the red fruit and spice notes. I\’d keep my hands off this wine for at least another five years. (Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley CA) 91
16/20. Un nez aux arômes de cerises en alcool, éphémère, moelleux en bouche avec des fruits confits, un boisé fin et élégant, au corps riche et plein, des tanins puissants, belle complexité en finale.
The sensational 2007 Gigondas Les Terraces de Diable reveals gloriously sweet black cherry and black raspberry fruit intermixed with notions of licorice, loamy soil, and roasted herbs. With terrific fruit density, a full-bodied richness, and striking elegance and precision, it should drink well for 15 or more years.
Partners Daniel Brunier and Kermit Lynch impeccably run this estate. I should also give a nod to Kermit Lynch’s latest musical endeavor, his brilliant CD called Man’s Temptation, which I highly recommend (particularly the song Gare de Lyon). Les Pallieres 2008s are two of the finest Gigondas I tasted in what is a very mediocre vintage for that appellation.
91-94 Deep red. Intensely perfumed aromas of wild strawberry, raspberry, minerals and fresh flowers. There\’s a Burgundian delicacy and focus here that are really intriguing. Sweet red berry flavors stain the palate without conveying any impression of undue weight. Finishes with outstanding clarity and spicy length. This new cuvee is sourced from 50-year-old vines in the estate\’s highest-altitude site.