2016 Domaine Les Pallieres Gigondas Les Racines

Other Reviews....
The 2016 Gigondas Les Racines was in its foudres at the time of my visit, but I still think it is the equal of the Brunier family's Châteauneufs. Full-bodied and rich but silky and almost lacy in texture, it marries raspberries and apricots with lovely herbal nuances and a lingering finish. It's a tremendous Gigondas, made from 75-year-old vines (80% Grenache).
94-96 points
Joe Czerwinski - Wine Advocate #238 (Sep 2018)

Deep ruby. Highly fragrant, smoke-tinged aromas of fresh dark fruits, incense and potpourri are sharpened by a spicy pepper note. Fleshy and broad but energetic as well, offering bitter cherry, black raspberry and floral pastille flavors that turn sweeter on the back half. Finishes sweet, broad and very long, displaying firm, spicy punch and dusty tannins that come in late.
92-94 points
Josh Raynolds - Vinous

Very complete and complex wine that has intensity and elegance. Raspberry and rose-like perfume, this has a long, red-fruit core with dark spices wrapped deep into the heart of the palate. Detailed texture, the noble, long tannins cloaked in wild, red plums and berries. Terrific freshness here. Wow. Drink or hold.
96 points
JamesSuckling.com

The old vines cuvee is the 2016 Gigondas Les Racines and comes from the oldest vines of the estate located around the domaine. The soils here lie around 200-300 feet in elevation and are a mix of broken limestone and clay, and the resulting wine is always blacker fruited, dense, and concentrated. Blackcurrants, black olives, exotic spices, and crushed rock notes all flow to a powerful, concentrated, tannic Gigondas that has remarkable purity and elegance. It shows the balance and freshness, as well as richness, that makes this vintage so compelling, and while it needs 2-3 years of bottle age, it's a profound, sensationally complex, layered wine readers shouldn't miss!
96 points
Jeb Dunnuck