La Roubine

Photography and writing by Ted Vance.

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A former Parisian fireman, and now the mayor of Gigondas (no joke!), Eric Ughetto took over the family’s vineyards in the early 1990s.  Later, his wife, Sophie, joined him and they made their first estate wine with the 2000 harvest.  A small estate with only 15 hectares (a little over 35 acres), it is operated almost entirely by this husband and wife team. They do the vineyard work together, but have clear lines elsewhere: Eric makes the wine and Sophie runs the commercial aspects. Simon, their young son, is already being groomed to start the process of taking the reigns from his pioneering parents.

It’s no surprise here, just like in any serious estate, that Eric and Sophie stress the importance of their vineyards over all else. The domaine is consciously run without pesticides, chemical fertilizers or herbicides. Since their beginning they have utilized organic methods and are now certified.

The Southern Rhône region is one of France’s most warm Mediterranean climates, and home to the infamous wine region, Châteauneuf-du-Pape. While Châteauneuf garners attention for their powerful and expressive wines led by the noble Grenache grape, there are other villages that are often times more charming and far less commercial, such as Domaine La Roubine’s home towns, Gigondas, Vacqueyras, Seguret and Sablet.  These three appellations, on the north side of the famous limestone cliffs, the “Dentelles de Montmirail,” are known for powerful and friendly wines of structure with high-toned, regional wild herbs of Provence aromas, referred to as “garrigue.” The soils of these three areas have a complex geological history with interesting microclimates that are often not well understood. Most of these wines are drunk in their youth, but extended time aging in the cellar is what gives true definition and magic to the wines of the Southern Rhône.

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La Roubine Gigondas

La Roubine - 2021 Gigondas

Price: $34.00
Size: 750ml
Availability: 

24+ in stock

Type of Wine: Red
Style: Rich, Rustic

Inside the bottle: This beauty highlights everything that’s refined and powerful and powerful about Gigondas. Its blend of terroirs reflect the nuances of the limestone slope, but it’s the gentle handiwork of vignerorn Eric Uhgetto—both in vineyard and cellar—that provides this wine its unusual elegance from what are highly traditional winemaking techniques.

After a whole bunch (both grapes and their stems) fermentation for a whopping 45 days one would expect a wine of pure mass and extraction. But, after the third week the tannin extraction of a wine usually peaks and starts to slowly mellow out, converting its rough grit into something finely textured. The extended fermentation—combined with aging in neutral vessels of concrete and old, large oak casks—results in an intensely savory wine with restrained power. Eric’s exceptional craft and his affinity for subtlety results in one of the most elegant wines in Gigondas.

Made of 70% Grenache and equal parts Mourvedre and Syrah, the wine offers classic aromas of licorice, garrigue (lavender, thyme, rosemary and sometimes juniper), and forest floor over a deep core of cool black fruits and ripe griotte (wild cherry). This is traditionally-styled winemaking at its best, put into service to capture the essence of place.

Terroir:  A blend of two distinctly different terroirs gives this wine depth and range. The first terroir comes from two sites, Santa Duc and Les Jardinières, located on the high plain of Gigondas, just below the village. They sit on iron-rich red alluvial soils mixed with quartzite cailloux roulés, clay with a limestone underbelly. The other terroir, Les Florets, is located on terraces of the Dentelles de Montmirail, above the village. These terraces are on white loamy limestone soils with fissured quartz stones, quartzite alluvial pebbles with sharp, fractured limestone scree from the Dentelles de Montmirail. The terraced sections are protected from the intense Mistral winds, but remain cool because off its northerly exposition, while the same winds carry cold air from the north into Gigondas’ lower section, giving the vines relief from the relentless Provençal summer sun and heat. On the plane, the wine’s masculinity is enhanced, while the terraces bring its finer points. Impossible to summarize in a single paragraph, the many terroirs of Gigondas make it one of the most complex within such a small area. Each vigneron has his own unique palette of vineyards to blend together in pursuit of charm in an appellation that can be known for brute power.

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The Wine

Inside the bottle: This beauty highlights everything that’s refined and powerful and powerful about Gigondas. Its blend of terroirs reflect the nuances of the limestone slope, but it’s the gentle handiwork of vignerorn Eric Uhgetto—both in vineyard and cellar—that provides this wine its unusual elegance from what are highly traditional winemaking techniques.

After a whole bunch (both grapes and their stems) fermentation for a whopping 45 days one would expect a wine of pure mass and extraction. But, after the third week the tannin extraction of a wine usually peaks and starts to slowly mellow out, converting its rough grit into something finely textured. The extended fermentation—combined with aging in neutral vessels of concrete and old, large oak casks—results in an intensely savory wine with restrained power. Eric’s exceptional craft and his affinity for subtlety results in one of the most elegant wines in Gigondas.

Made of 70% Grenache and equal parts Mourvedre and Syrah, the wine offers classic aromas of licorice, garrigue (lavender, thyme, rosemary and sometimes juniper), and forest floor over a deep core of cool black fruits and ripe griotte (wild cherry). This is traditionally-styled winemaking at its best, put into service to capture the essence of place.

Terroir:  A blend of two distinctly different terroirs gives this wine depth and range. The first terroir comes from two sites, Santa Duc and Les Jardinières, located on the high plain of Gigondas, just below the village. They sit on iron-rich red alluvial soils mixed with quartzite cailloux roulés, clay with a limestone underbelly. The other terroir, Les Florets, is located on terraces of the Dentelles de Montmirail, above the village. These terraces are on white loamy limestone soils with fissured quartz stones, quartzite alluvial pebbles with sharp, fractured limestone scree from the Dentelles de Montmirail. The terraced sections are protected from the intense Mistral winds, but remain cool because off its northerly exposition, while the same winds carry cold air from the north into Gigondas’ lower section, giving the vines relief from the relentless Provençal summer sun and heat. On the plane, the wine’s masculinity is enhanced, while the terraces bring its finer points. Impossible to summarize in a single paragraph, the many terroirs of Gigondas make it one of the most complex within such a small area. Each vigneron has his own unique palette of vineyards to blend together in pursuit of charm in an appellation that can be known for brute power.

About The Wine

Inside the bottle: This beauty highlights everything that’s refined and powerful and powerful about Gigondas. Its blend of terroirs reflect the nuances of the limestone slope, but it’s the gentle handiwork of vignerorn Eric Uhgetto—both in vineyard and cellar—that provides this wine its unusual elegance from what are highly traditional winemaking techniques.

After a whole bunch (both grapes and their stems) fermentation for a whopping 45 days one would expect a wine of pure mass and extraction. But, after the third week the tannin extraction of a wine usually peaks and starts to slowly mellow out, converting its rough grit into something finely textured. The extended fermentation—combined with aging in neutral vessels of concrete and old, large oak casks—results in an intensely savory wine with restrained power. Eric’s exceptional craft and his affinity for subtlety results in one of the most elegant wines in Gigondas.

Made of 70% Grenache and equal parts Mourvedre and Syrah, the wine offers classic aromas of licorice, garrigue (lavender, thyme, rosemary and sometimes juniper), and forest floor over a deep core of cool black fruits and ripe griotte (wild cherry). This is traditionally-styled winemaking at its best, put into service to capture the essence of place.

Terroir:  A blend of two distinctly different terroirs gives this wine depth and range. The first terroir comes from two sites, Santa Duc and Les Jardinières, located on the high plain of Gigondas, just below the village. They sit on iron-rich red alluvial soils mixed with quartzite cailloux roulés, clay with a limestone underbelly. The other terroir, Les Florets, is located on terraces of the Dentelles de Montmirail, above the village. These terraces are on white loamy limestone soils with fissured quartz stones, quartzite alluvial pebbles with sharp, fractured limestone scree from the Dentelles de Montmirail. The terraced sections are protected from the intense Mistral winds, but remain cool because off its northerly exposition, while the same winds carry cold air from the north into Gigondas’ lower section, giving the vines relief from the relentless Provençal summer sun and heat. On the plane, the wine’s masculinity is enhanced, while the terraces bring its finer points. Impossible to summarize in a single paragraph, the many terroirs of Gigondas make it one of the most complex within such a small area. Each vigneron has his own unique palette of vineyards to blend together in pursuit of charm in an appellation that can be known for brute power.

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