Even in the Rhône, single-varietal Roussanne is a rare bird. Jean-Baptiste Souillard, a young producer with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the region, recently estimated there are only 10 or so producers who do not blend their Roussanne with Marsanne. Made entirely from Roussanne (and inspired by a tasting of Beaucastel’s Vieilles Vignes Châteauneuf early on in Gaillard’s career), this is one of those wines that make you question that logic.

The grapes were drawn from several low-yielding sites situated in the far north of the appellation: the relatively cool granite plateau of Malleval at Les Dries; on the slopes of Malleval at Chartres; and finally, from Les Vessettes in Chavanay. The wine spent eight months in used Allier and Nevers barrels sourced from growers in Chassagne and Pouilly-Fuissé.

It’s a lovely release pitched between stone-fruited fleshy richness and bright, savoury structure. It’s an intense, creamy-textured wine where herbs and blossom have the upper hand over spicy, yellow plum and nutty lees notes. And there’s a delicious umami thing going on, too. Complex and seductive, this is already drinking deliciously.

Pierre Gaillard's top Condrieu comes from a single hectare of vines on a steep, sandy, granitic slope of Malleval (just south of Condrieu). In 2022, the vines here yielded just 30 hl/ha of pungent, tenderloin Viognier fruit, and the wine spent eight months in Allier and Nevers oak, of which just 5% was new. It is early days, but it already hints at the tell-tale characteristics of a top Gaillard Viognier: small white flowers, fragrant peach blossom, and a refreshing, controlled palate. It finishes with ample structure and an undercurrent of smoky, granite-laced minerality. Expect retrained power and finesse in equal measure.

Gaillard’s Saint-Joseph is drawn from several parcels in the high country of Malleval, Chavanay and Limony in the far north of the appellation. The vines lie closer to Vienne and Condrieu than to Tournon-sur-Rhône in the south. Gaillard’s steep, cool soils have plenty of granite, which contributes to the mineral cut of this perfumed and vibrant Syrah. At the same time, varying altitudes and aspects offer Gaillard various blending options and are key to the impressive consistency of this wine.

As usual, each parcel was destemmed and vinified separately. Aging was mostly in used Allier and Nevers barrels for 18 months, and the wine was bottled unfiltered. This is an immediately engaging, sleek, detailed and fragrant St-Jo with an array of red and blue fruits, exotic spices, and a lick of 2021’s roasted herb flavour. While it’s the kind of crunchy-textured throwback vintage that screams ‘Don’t wait’, it has everything in place to suggest it will get better and better over the next five-plus years. But then again, why wait?!

The Clos de Cuminaille is one of the most privileged sites of Saint-Joseph. It’s an east-facing, walled vineyard on Chavanay’s pure granite soils and produces one of the most distinctive wines of the appellation each year. When Gaillard bought this three-hectare site, he passed on the chance to buy a slice of the now-renowned La Turque vineyard in Côte-Rôtie, a site he helped plant. He simply felt that Clos de Cuminaille was better. The vines here are now more than 30 years old, and the winemaking is no different from the Saint-Joseph—save for a touch more new oak (a well-integrated 25% this year).

As always, this is a much more textural and polished experience compared to the regular Saint-Joseph cuvée. It’s pulpy and layered with juicy plum and pastille fruit, scored by hints of grilled herbs and sappy, northern Rhône spice. It carries the refreshing signature of the vintage with style and substance. Not the power of 2020, for example, but that’s all the better for drinking young.

Gaillard’s Côte-Rôtie is a co-fermented blend of 90% Syrah and 10% Viognier from the schist soils of Fongeant and Viallière (Ampuis) and a parcel of vines on gneiss at Semons in the south of the appellation. All the fruit was harvested by hand with a strict selection, ensuring only the finest bunches and berries made it into the final blend. The fruit was 100% destemmed and vinification involved a five-day pre-fermentation soak and then regular punch-downs. The wine spent 18 months in barrique (35% new) and was bottled without filtration. Rhône scholar John Livingstone-Learmonth describes the wine well. The palate is vibrant and fresh, with lots of juicy, textured dark fruits, smoky black olive and some anise fruit, all encased within an elegant, fine tannin structure. Very Côte Blonde this year. We would simply add that the wines need at least six months in the bottle for all the elements to fuse.   

The charismatic Rose Pourpre (purple rose) comes from a particularly steep, one-hectare parcel of 40-year-old vines rooted in the schist soils of Côte Rozier. It’s a warm, amphitheatre-shaped site just under the famous La Landonne, at the heart of the Côte Brune. There are numerous stone walls, well known for their ability to retain heat. This magnifies the site’s sunny microclimate and is one of the keys to understanding the depth and structure of the wines that come from this terroir. Harvesting is, of course, by hand, and the fruit is entirely destemmed before crushing. This cuvee ages for 18 months in Allier and Nevers barrels. These barrels are mostly new, yet this powerhouse wine has soaked it up beautifully. Though never a brawny wine, Rose Poupre is traditionally Gaillard’s most palate-staining, brooding Côte-Rôtie.