2020 Domaine Mathilde et Yves Gangloff Côte-Rôtie "La Barbarine", Rhone Valley, France
ABOUT THIS WINE
98% Syrah, 2% Viognier (co-fermented) from Combards and Tupin. Granite soil on guyot simple and gobelet vines that are 15 years old. 80% whole clusters, 3 weeks in stainless steel tank, then oak aging for 12-14 months. No fining, kieselguhr filtration, malolactic fermentation, indigenous yeasts.
ABOUT THIS PRODUCER
When Yves Gangloff was a young man, his brother Pierre was renting a room in the castle of Ampuis (before Guigal had ownership). Yves went down to the Rhone valley to spend time with his brother, ended up meeting his future wife, Mathilde, and never left. He landed a job as a laborer at Delas, where he worked for seven years and discovered his passion for the wine world.
By 1982, Yves and Mathilde were able to purchase one hectare of vines and began renting, buying, and expanding on this initial patch of land. In 1987, the negociant to whom they’d been selling their grapes went bankrupt and backed out right before harvest that year and the Gangloffs were forced to master winemaking by themselves. From there they continued to expand on their knowledge base, and by the mid 1990s, Yves had been recognized as one of the superstars of the region.
Considered a micro-domaine, Yves’ wine is made with exceptional quality and in very limited production. Their cellar is located in the heart of Condrieu and their vines are located in Condrieu, Cote-Rotie, and St.-Joseph, all on steep hillsides. In the early summer, when vine shoots are growing fast and require tying up to the stakes, Yves works with about 30 people in the vineyards to complete the work, more people than he even uses for harvest.
His meticulousness doesn’t end there; in the cellar, he destems some, but not all of the crop, depending on the vintage. He uses only wild yeasts and manipulates the wine as little as possible. He vinifies wines in partly new oak. Maturation is done in small oak barrels, with a proportion new. He does not rack and uses minimal amounts of sulphur. Although he uses some new oak, his wines are never ‘oaky.’ They contain personality and energy with classic Cote Rotie and Condrieu aromas.
The domaine now extends to the second generation, as Yves' daughter, Elsa, is coordinating the administrative side of the business. In addition to his passion for wine, Yves is also an amazing guitar player and collector. He has amassed more than thirty guitars, including a vintage Gretsch and Telecaster. In his spare time he plays jazz, blues, or rock. The artistic gene runs in his family – brother Pierre is a painter and now does all of the labels for Gangloff – which are usually voluptuous nudes.