The Movement · Bordeaux red
Gigue2015
Library — no longer available from us.
Arriving
Like an early evening beneath old olive trees.
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.
- Grape varieties
- 75% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon, 3% Malbec
- Limitation
- 5890
- Ageing
- Concrete tank, small share of barrique
- Yield
- 45 hl/ha
- Analysis
- 14.5 % vol · pH 3.72
- Drinking window
- 2021 – 2032
- Serving temperature
- 15–16 °C
- Decanting
- aerate 30–60 min
Evening beneath the olive trees
The first glass
The flavour profile of Gigue 2015
Gigue smells of juicy cherry and violet, with a hint of white pepper. Gigue 2015 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
Six years of rest in the cellar before it left the estate in 2021.
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.
Maturity — how it drinks today
In the middle of its drinking window
Optimal drinking window of Gigue 2015
2021 – 2032
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.
The terroir and the wine it yields
Where it comes from
The parcel map
Click on a parcel number to find out more about it.Tap a parcel number to find out more about it.
- ClayCool and water-holding: depth, structure, a long life.
- Clay-gravelWhere two worlds meet: strength with finesse.
- GravelWarm and draining: energy, precision, lift.
- SandLight and open: freshness and a free hand.
The blend of Gigue 2015
3 Grape varieties
- 75%Merlot
- 22%Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon
- 3%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.
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
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.
Library
The story of this vintage is complete
The last bottles of Gigue 2015 have left the estate. Drinking window, decanting and recipes remain here for everyone who still has bottles of it in their cellar.
Frequently Asked Questions · Gigue 2015
Good to know
When should I drink Gigue 2015?
Its drinking window runs until around 2032. Anyone who still has bottles should drink them now, in their mature phase, and keep them cool, dark and lying down until then.
How was Gigue 2015 aged?
In concrete vats, with only a small share in barrique. This keeps the fruit in the foreground and the wood in the background.
Is the wine organic?
The Domaine is certified organic and HVE4 today. Gigue 2015 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 2015
| Wine | Gigue 2015 |
|---|---|
| Estate | LaSuite aux Conseillans |
| Origin | Saint-Caprais-de-Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France |
| Type | red wine |
| Appellation | AOC Cadillac |
| Grape varieties | 75% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon, 3% Malbec |
| Plots and soils | predominantly gravel, with clay |
| Yield | 45 hl/ha |
| Ageing | Concrete tank, small share of barrique; then bottle ageing in our own cellar |
| Released | 2021 |
| Analysis | 14.5 % vol · pH 3.72 |
| Edition | 5890 bottles |
| Drinking window | 2021 – 2032 |
| Serving temperature | 15–16 °C |
| Decanting | aerate 30–60 min |
| Viticulture | Domaine now organic- and HVE4-certified; this vintage was made naturally, before official organic certification. |
| Formats | 0.75 L |
| Place in the Suite | Opens the reds of the Suite; “The Movement” |
| Musical reference | Robert Schumann — Gigue, Op. 32 |
| Item number | LS-GIGU-15-075 |
The vintages
Gigue through the years
Every vintage plays the same movement, each in its own key. The bar shows when a vintage opens and how long it carries; the line marks today.
-
2014
Library
The earliest vintage in the series, matured in concrete.
Drinking window 2018 – 2030In the library - 2015 Library
Matured in concrete, with a small share in barrique; now in the library.
Drinking window 2021 – 2032This vintage -
2016
Ready to drink
A wet spring, a dry summer and even ripening; harmonious in the glass today.
Drinking window 2024 – 2035In the library -
2018
Ready to drink
A difficult early summer, then a warm late summer: almost pure Merlot, with great concentration.
Drinking window 2026 – 2039In the library -
2019
Maturing in the cellar
A dry year with 41 degrees in July and a harvest free of rot pressure.
Drinking window 2029 – 2039View in the cellar -
2020
Maturing in the cellar
54 days without rain in summer: small berries and dense colour.
Drinking window 2027 – 2039View in the cellar -
2021
Maturing in the cellar
Frost in April, a cool summer and the first vintage from amphora.
Drinking window 2027 – 2035View in the cellar - 2022 Maturing in the cellarDrinking window 2030 – 2040View in the cellar
- 2023 Maturing in the cellarView in the cellar
- 2024 Maturing in the cellarView in the cellar
- 2025 Maturing in the cellarView in the cellar
- 2026 Maturing in the cellarView in the cellar
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 skip one entirely; that is why the repertoire is rarely complete.
We release each wine only when we would most like to drink it ourselves.Marc & Ellen Ruhland
For us, time is an ingredient.