Château Redortier, Suzette

"This is a small but outstanding Gigondas estate that deserves significantly more attention"
(Robert M. Parker, Wines of the Rhône Valley, Dorling Kindersley)

"The Villages wines come in red form and Beaumes-de-Venise has a quietly growing reputation for these through the efforts of Etienne de Menthon at Château Redortier" 
(John Livingstone-Learmonth, The Wines of the Rhône, Faber & Faber)

Etienne de Menthon of Gigondas' Château Redortier is an outsider in several respects. He is not a native of the region and lives with his wife up in the hills near to the tiny hamlet of Suzette, near Beaumes-de-Venise. 

Perhaps more important is his use of 40% Syrah in all his red wine cuvées (except the Beaumes Prestige which uses 60%) which is high for this part of the valley (largely due to the high altitude - Mourvèdre won't ripen fully here so he doesn't grow any); also his refusal to use any wood ageing as he considers it detrimental to the flavours of Grenache-based wines. The results speak for themselves: some of the finest, most elegant Gigondas produced, critically acclaimed as being one of the appellation's very best estates. His Beaumes-de-Venise wines are excellent too, enough to make you wonder why this village doesn't have its own appellation!