Chateau Gigault Cuvee Viva Cotes de Blaye Bordeaux Complete Guide

Learn everything about Chateau Gigault Cuvee Viva Cotes de Blaye with wine tasting notes, wine, and food pairing tips, best vintages, a history of the property, information on the vineyards, and winemaking. If you want to read about other important, Bordeaux Chateaux: Links to all Bordeaux Wine Producer Profiles

Chateau Gigault History, Overview

Chateau Gigault was created in 1998. The owner, Christophe Reboul Salze, named Cuvee Viva from Chateau Gigault, after his late daughter who passed away that same year in 1998. Located in the Premieres Cote de Blaye appellation, Chateau Gigault Cuvee Viva was the second purchase of a Bordeaux chateau for Reboul Salze.

His first Bordeaux vineyard purchase was Chateau Les Grands Marechaux, which is also located in the Cotes de Blaye appellation. That property was bought just one year earlier, in 1997.

Aside from being a Bordeaux winemaker, Christophe Reboul is also well known as a Bordeaux wine negociant with his company, The Wine Merchant. In 2011, they added to holdings with the purchase of Chateau Belle Coline.

Chateau Gigault Vineyards, Terroir, Grapes, Winemaking

The Chateau Gigault vineyard is planted to 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. In total, the vineyard is 17.7 hectares in the Cotes de Bordeaux appellation. The vineyard is planted in one large, single block of vines. The terroir is clay and limestone with silica deposits in the soil.

The vineyard is planted to 5,500 vines per hectare with vines that are on average, 30 years of age. The vineyard management techniques include soils that are mechanically tilled, crop covering for every third row, deleafing, and green harvesting for low yields.

To make sure they could produce the best wines possible with Chateau Gigault Cuvee Viva, one of the first things the new owners did was to bring in the team of Stephane Derenoncourt as their consultant.

To produce the wine of Chateau Gigault Cuvee Viva, the grapes are whole berry fermented. Vinification takes place in a combination of small, cement vats and stainless steel tanks that vary in size.

To allow for precise vinification on a parcel by parcel basis, the vats range in size from as small as 35 hectoliters to as large as 114 hectoliters. Malolactic fermentation takes place in a combination of French oak barrels and tanks.

The wine of Gigault Cuvee Viva is then aged in 40% new, French oak barrels for an average of 14 months before bottling. Even though the vineyard includes 10% Cabernet Franc, Gigault Cuvee Viva is often close to 100% Merlot in the blend. On average, the production of Chateau Gigault Cuvee Viva is close to 3,800 cases per year. There is a second wine, Chateau Gigault.

The best vintages of Chateau Gigault are: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2012, 2010, 2009 and 2005.

When to Drink Chateau Gigault Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time

Chateau Gigault is better with at least 1-3 years of aging in good vintages. Young vintages can be decanted for up to 1 hour, helping the wine soften to help develop the aromatic character.

Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment. Chateau Gigault offers its best drinking and should reach peak maturity between 2-7 years of age after the vintage.

Serving Chateau Gigault with Wine, Food, Pairing Tips

Chateau Gigault is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift.

Chateau Gigault is best paired with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, and grilled dishes. Chateau Gigault is also good when matched with Asian dishes, rich fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, and pasta.

Chateau Gigault Cuvee Viva is another candidate for one of the top Bordeaux value wines from the various Satellite Appellations.

www.chateau-gigault.fr