Domaine Giraud Chateauneuf-du-Pape Grenaches de Pierre 2012 3 Liter / Double Magnum

94-97 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

"The cream of the lineup, and possibly the vintage, the 2012 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Grenaches de Pierre is an incredible effort that possesses notions of bouquet garni, pepper, licorice, cassis and crushed stone-like minerality. Full-bodied, powerful and layered, yet also elegant and with terrific intensity and depth, it too should be reasonably approachable in its youth and evolve gracefully for 15 years or more. If you can, don’t miss a chance to latch on to a few of these. Drink 2015-2027. This is a terrific lineup of wines by the brother and sister team of Marie and Francois Giraud. Their 2011s are certainly near the top of the vintage, with the 2012s looking just as good. In addition to releasing stunning reds, this estate always produces a terrific white. Marie produced three red Chateauneufs in 2012, with no Les Gallimardes due to the tiny quantity. During my tasting, Marie commented on the rain in late September and the difficulty in deciding when to pick. Opting to wait until after the rain for the majority of their plots, this spread the harvest out over five weeks as opposed to the normal two weeks."

95 points Wine Spectator

"Deliciously mouthfilling, with a wide-ranging core of kirsch, red licorice, blackberry paste, sage, pepper, bay and tobacco notes pumping along authoritatively. Singed juniper and allspice accents add subtle nuance to the lengthy, defined finish. Best from 2015 through 2030"

Pierre Giraud and his wife Mireille, the parents of François and Marie today at the head of the estate, settled in 1974 on rented land. Pierre's mother, Eliane, comes from a six-century-old Châteauneuf wine-growing family, the Armeniers (now at the Marcoux estate). Initially, the Girauds sold their grapes to merchants. But in 1981 they created the Pierre Giraud estate, fitted out a cellar and began to sell their wine, and no longer their grapes, to merchants. In 1987, the four members of the family shared the vines and thus Mireille and Pierre inherited eight hectares, some of which had vines over 100 years old. It was not until 1998 that Pierre Giraud began bottling and marketing his wine. Also in 1998, the estate becomes “Domaine Giraud” and the children of Mireille and Pierre then begin their wine studies. With time and the support of their parents, they gradually took over the management of the estate. In 2001, the family invested in new winemaking equipment. The 19 hectares of vines are spread throughout the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation, in places called La Crau, Les Terres Blanches, Les Gallimardes and Pignan near Rayas and include many exceptional Grenaches over 100 years old.