The Movement · Bordeaux red

Gigue2016

Released only in its drinking phase — ready for the table.

Arriving

Like an early evening beneath old olive trees.

Gigue 2016, Bordeaux Rotwein – Flasche auf dem gedeckten Tisch unter Olivenbäumen, mit Schmorgericht

Powerful and rich in tannin, kept in motion by lively fruit.

Quick, full of verve and with strength in every step – that is how a gigue sounds, and how this wine tastes.

The 2016 vintage was characterized by a very rainy season until May. Flowering proceeded correctly and uniformly. The dry conditions from June until harvest favored a slow and even ripening of the grapes. The weather conditions ensured an excellent degree of ripeness.

Grape varieties: 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc & Sauvignon, 5% Malbec
Limitation: 9912
Ageing: Concrete tank, small share of barrique
Yield: 40 hl/ha
Analysis: 13.5% vol · pH 3.69
Drinking window: 2024 – 2035
Serving temperature: 15–16 °C
Decanting: 15 minutes is enough

£260.75 L bottleAdd to cart

Evening beneath the olive trees

Gigue 2016, Bordeaux Rotwein – Flasche und Gläser zum gegrillten Steak auf der Terrasse unter Olivenbäumen

The first glass

The flavour profile of Gigue 2016

Juicy cherry and dark forest berry, with violet and a hint of white pepper. On the palate the Gigue is powerful and tannic, almost weighty — yet it stays supple, because the fruit carries it. Ageing in concrete tank with a small share of barrique keeps it fresh and clear, without covering it in oak. After eight years in the cellar the tannins are polished and round; it drinks harmoniously now, with drive into the long finish.

Juicy cherry
Dark forest berry
Violet
White pepper
Polished tannin

Gigue smells of juicy cherry and violet, with a hint of white pepper. Gigue 2016 matured in concrete vats, with only a small share in barrique, which keeps the fruit clear. On the palate it is powerful and rich in tannin, almost heavy, and yet it stays nimble because the fruit carries it. A red for the table, at 15–16 °C.

Why Gigue

A quick dance with weight.

A suite is a sequence of dances. Each has its own character, and only all together do they make the whole. That is how our estate is built: each cuvée is inspired by a movement of this suite and takes on the character of its form.The gigue is the quick, lively dance of the suite. In the classical suite it comes last; with us, it opens the reds. That is why this wine has power and tannin, and why its fruit sets it in motion. Dancing rather than marching, for Gigue, means energy despite weight.

Gigue is energy with weight: powerful, rich in tannin and kept in motion by its fruit.

Robert Schumann — Gigue, Op. 32

In concrete · In the Domaine's cellar

Eight years of rest in the cellar before it left the estate in 2024.

Aged in our own cellar.

Matured in the Domaine's cellar: in concrete vats up to the 2020 vintage, in amphorae since 2021, often with a small share in barrique. Then bottle ageing until we consider the wine ready to drink.

Keller & Handwerk

Maturity — how it drinks today

At the start of its drinking window

Optimal drinking window of Gigue 2016

2024 – 2035

Serving temperature 15–16 °C.

Our principles

Why we take the trouble

Ageing in our own cellar

Most of our wines go on sale only once they are ready to drink; until then they mature with us, and we carry the risk.

Composed plot by plot

Each plot is vinified separately; only at the end do we compose the cuvée from them.

Time as an ingredient

Depth takes time. We give the wines the years in barrel and bottle that they need.

Organic & HVE4

The Domaine's vineyards are certified organic and HVE4, set within a 19-hectare ecosystem of woodland, meadows, water and vines.

Gigue, Bordeaux Rotwein – Rebzeilen von LaSuite aux Conseillans

Die Parcelle 13 als Beispiel für das Terroir des Château LaSuite aux Conseillans in Bordeaux

The terroir and the wine it yields

Where it comes from

The Gigue draws on three plots and three soils. On the clay of plot C7 the Merlot takes root, carrying the fruit; the gravel of plot C13 — up to four fifths stone at depth — gives warmth, drainage and energy; and the clay-gravel of plot C12 brings the tension with Cabernet Sauvignon. This is how the Gigue stays juicy and supple while having a foundation that holds the fruit.

Which plots go into the blend is decided by the vintage; the assignment can therefore vary slightly from harvest to harvest.

Watercolour map of LaSuite aux Conseillans with the 16 numbered parcels, coloured by the four terroirs: clay, clay-gravel, gravel and sand — The 16 parcels of the Domaine, about five hectares of vines. The colours show our four terroirs.

The blend of Gigue 2016

3 Grape varieties

80%Merlot
15%Cabernet Franc & Sauvignon
5%Malbec

Each plot is vinified separately; only at the end does the cuvée come together. More about our terroirs.

Precision & method

In the tradition of modern oenology

Aux Conseillans was for decades the Domaine of Jean Ribéreau-Gayon — one of the co-founders of modern oenology, founder of the Institute of Oenology at the University of Bordeaux (1949) and long-time owner of the estate. We work in that tradition: each plot analysed and vinified separately, the ageing guided under control, drinking maturity checked in a blind tasting.

The legacy of the oenologists

When the embers settle

Into a large glass at 15–16 °C, and a little time: that is how Gigue opens up to cherry, violet and white pepper.

Your evening

A wine for the table.

Dishes to pair

A selection from our recipe kitchen, matched to the structure and maturity of this wine.

Bistecca alla fiorentina – T-bone from the fire

Bœuf Bordelais – slow braised with gigue

Brasato di Silvio al Gigue – beef pot roast

Bucatini all'amatriciana

Carne de porco à alentejana, pork & clams

Confit de canard – beluga lentils & shallots

Grilled veal chop, sauce tonnata & capers

Foie de veau lyonnaise, sweet sherry glaze

All recipes

The mood to match the wine

A playlist for the moment

If you are a friend of classical music, here is a playlist that may suit your evening and the character of this wine. One possibility among many; listen in, if you like.

Sound of Gigue · Listen on Spotify

For your cellar

Available formats

Gigue 2016, Edition 9912 bottles. Shipped directly from the estate — climate-controlled storage in our own cellar.

To get acquainted

The Coffret Dégustation

Three movements of the Suite in one case — Sarabande 2015, Gigue 2016 and Louré 2024. €100 incl. shipping.

Frequently Asked Questions · Gigue 2016

Good to know

When should I drink Gigue 2016?

Released in 2024 after eight years of ageing, it is right in the middle of its drinking window (2024–2035). The plateau lies around 2028–2032. It is harmonious and approachable now and can easily rest for a few more years.

Do I need to decant it?

Briefly – around 15 minutes of air is enough. Serve at 15–16 °C; the fruit keeps opening up in the glass.

Why is it only released after eight years?

We only release a vintage once it is ready to drink. Gigue 2016 spent eight years in the Domaine's cellar – we carry the risk of ageing, not you.

What does it go with?

Grilled food, duck and braised dishes. It also carries hearty braises such as a brasato or a ragù with ease. A wine for a convivial table.

Which grape varieties is it made from?

80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Malbec – from three plots: the clay of C7, the gravel of C13 and the clay-gravel of C12.

Is Gigue a light wine?

No. It is powerful and rich in tannin, almost heavy. What keeps it nimble is its lively fruit: “dancing rather than marching” means energy despite weight.

How does Gigue differ from Sarabande?

The two are equal, each inspired by a different movement of the suite. Gigue opens the reds: aged in concrete with a small share in barrique, and carried by its fruit. Sarabande stands in the middle of the reds, aged in barrique, and matures along a different path.

How should I store it at home?

Cool (around 12–14 °C), dark and lying down. That way it will easily keep until the end of its drinking window around 2035. Bring it to 15–16 °C before serving.

Is the wine organic?

The Domaine is certified organic and HVE4 today. Gigue 2016 was made in a close-to-nature way but does not yet carry the official organic label: our wines may only bear it from the 2022 vintage onwards.

Technical data sheet · Gigue 2016

Technical data sheet, Gigue 2016, LaSuite aux Conseillans.
Wine	Gigue 2016
Estate	LaSuite aux Conseillans
Origin	Saint-Caprais-de-Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
Type	red wine
Appellation	AOC Cadillac
Grape varieties	80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc & Sauvignon, 5% Malbec
Plots and soils	predominantly gravel, with clay
Yield	40 hl/ha
Ageing	Concrete tank, small share of barrique; then bottle ageing in our own cellar
Released	2024
Analysis	13.5% vol · pH 3.69
Edition	9912 bottles
Drinking window	2024 – 2035
Serving temperature	15–16 °C
Decanting	15 minutes is enough
Aromas	Juicy cherry, Dark forest berry, Violet, White pepper, Polished tannin
Viticulture	Domaine now organic- and HVE4-certified; this vintage was made naturally, before official organic certification.
Formats	0.75 L (£26)
Place in the Suite	Opens the reds of the Suite; “The Movement”
Musical reference	Robert Schumann — Gigue, Op. 32
Item number	LS-GIGU-16-075

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