THE MOVEMENT

Gigue

2016

Bordeaux red wine

Released only when ready to drink — ready for the table.

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Lively, energetic and dance-like. A wine that brings joy without being banal.

The Gigue typically concludes a suite – lively and uplifting. With us, the Gigue opens the collection of the great red wines.

The Gigue presents itself with juicy cherry fruit, violets and a hint of white pepper. Minimal oak ageing preserves its freshness and approachability; polished yet noticeable tannins usually make it ready to drink several years earlier than the Sarabande.

In its younger years it is the perfect accompaniment to a summer BBQ or a good ragù alla bolognese, while once it has matured a little it also goes wonderfully with duck in a honey glaze.

A red wine that prefers to dance rather than march.

Grape varieties

80% Merlot

Limited edition

9912

Ageing

Concrete tank, small share of barrique

Yield

40 hl/ha

Analysis

13.5% vol · pH 3.69

Serving temperature

16–18 °C

Decanting

15 minutes is enough

Drinking window

2024 – 2035

0.75 L bottle · £27.00

Label of the 2016 vintage of the red wine Gigue from Château LaSuite aux Conseillans in Bordeaux

Bottle of Gigue Bordeaux 2016 on a terrace with entrecôte in the evening light.

Label of a wine from Château LaSuite aux Conseillans

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Why Gigue

The Gigue typically concludes a suite – lively and uplifting. With us, the Gigue opens the collection of the great red wines. The Gigue...

The Gigue stands for deliberate approachability – a wine that allows energy without forgoing order and origin.

Robert Schumann — Gigue, Op. 32

Ten yearsin our own cellar.

2016 → 2026

In the glass

The flavour profile

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

Maturity — how it drinks today

Ten years of ageing

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.

Optimal drinking window

2024 – 2035

Pour at serving temperature.

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.

The assemblage

3 Grape varieties

80%Merlot

15%Cabernet Franc & Sauvignon

5%Malbec

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

Aged in the chai

Aged in our own cellar.

Aged under control in barrel and vinified plot by plot — then the years of bottle rest in our own cellar, until we consider the wine ready to drink.

Cellar & Craft →

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 longtime owner of the estate. We work in this tradition: each plot analysed and vinified separately, the ageing guided under control, the release only after proven readiness to drink.

The oenologists' legacy ›

Our stance

Why we take the trouble

Released only when ready to drink

We bring a vintage to market only when it is ready to drink. We carry the ageing 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 needs 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, embedded in a 19-hectare ecosystem of woodland, meadows, water and vines.

At the table

A wine for the table.

A wine for convivial evenings with friends, which is uncomplicatedly enjoyable thanks to its smooth character and perfect ripeness.

Recipes

Dishes that pair well

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

All recipes →

The mood for the wine

A playlist for the moment

This wine comes with a mood playlist on Spotify — a flowing companion as you drink. Listen in if you like; it isn't necessary.

Sound of Gigue

Listen on Spotify

We release each wine only when we most like to drink it ourselves.

Marc & Ellen Ruhland

Frequently asked questions

Good to know

When should I drink the Gigue 2016?

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

Do I need to decant it?

Briefly — about 15 minutes of air is enough. Serve at 16–18 °C; over the course of the glass the fruit opens further.

Why does it only go on sale after eight years?

We bring a vintage to market only when it is ready to drink. The 2016 spent eight years in our cellar — we carry the ageing risk, not you.

What does it pair with?

With grilled meats, duck and braised dishes. It carries hearty braises such as brasato or a ragù with ease. A wine for a convivial gathering.

Which grape varieties is it made from?

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

Is the Gigue a light wine?

No. It is powerful and tannic, almost weighty. What keeps it supple is its lively fruit — “dancing rather than marching” means energy despite weight, not lightness.

How does it differ from the Sarabande?

Both are equal movements of the Suite. The Gigue opens the red wines — aged in concrete tank with a small share of barrique, fruit-driven. The Sarabande stands at the centre of the range, barrique-focused, with a different ageing curve.

How do I store it at home?

Cool (around 12–14 °C), dark and lying down. It will easily keep until the end of the drinking window around 2035. Bring to 16–18 °C before serving.

Is the wine organic?

Yes. The Domaine's vineyards are certified organic and hold HVE4, the highest level of the French environmental certification.

To get acquainted

The Coffret Dégustation

Three movements of the Suite in one box — Sarabande 2015, Gigue 2016 and Louré 2024. A first path through our wines.

100 € incl. shipping

To the Coffret →

Gigue 2016

0.75 L bottle · £27.00

Edition of 9912 bottles. Shipped directly from the Château — climate-controlled storage in our own cellar.

For us, time is an ingredient.

All wines ›Visit the estate →

The vintages

Gigue through the years

For most cuvées we hold several vintages: one on sale, others still maturing, older ones in the library. Here you can see where this vintage stands.

All vintages of Gigue

The repertoire

The other movements of the Suite

Each cuvée has its own voice, from the rosé to the red that needs decades. In weak years we simply do not make one of them; that is why the repertoire is rarely complete.