1998 Gigondas, Perrin et Fils
Dry, Red, Still
France
To be consumed 2002 – 2008 
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Tasting Note
A lovely depth of colour — bottomless. A rush of sweet fruit and leather greets the nose together with the scents of smoke and thyme. Long, elegant and layered. A treat. Very classy wine-making.
Region Details
A confident wind is blowing through the Rhône valley; Syrah, Grenache and Viognier are the grapes of the moment, and the Mediterranean diet has been adopted around the world as the mark of a good life, further energising sales of Rhône wines. From Côte-Rôtie through to the Châteauneuf-du-Pape, there is a sense of optimism and forward motion.
While united by the presence of the river, the two halves of the region couldn’t be more different. The northern Rhône consists of a narrow band of vineyards that follow the course of the river as it heads south. The vineyards are dramatically steep in parts, and the climate is continental, similar to that of the southern extremes of Burgundy. In terms of the wines produced, Syrah reigns supreme as the only red varietal, while white wines invariably consist of a proportion of both Marsanne and Roussanne.
Other than the river, the south shares very little with the north. Flatter and much more Mediterranean in climate, it is Grenache that features most heavily for red wine production, supported mainly by Syrah and Mourvèdre. White wine production is equally as varied; Grenache Blanc, Bourbelenc, Clairette, Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne are all found here. With such a wide base of varieties, styles and wines can and do vary dramatically.
Vintage Notes
1998 - Rhône
Virtually every grower was satisfied in 1998 irrespective of appellation, grape variety or wine style. In the north, frost curtailed crop size (but not quality) in Côte-Rôtie and end-of-harvest rains caught late pickers unaware on the rock of Hermitage, but otherwise the results were uniformly fine. Unlike 1997, when maturation was accompanied by a loss of acidity, the more typically cool August and September nights in 1998 preserved the acid balance in the fruit. In the south 1998 was truly exciting. The predominant grape, Grenache, excelled producing wines made from fully ripe fruit, with pleasing acidity and silky tannins, and in good quantity to boot.
Grape Variety
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