THE MOVEMENT

Gigue

2018

Bordeaux red wine

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

Scroll

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

96% Merlot

Limited edition

12489

Ageing

Concrete tank, small share of barrique

Analysis

14.0 % vol · pH 3.69

Serving temperature

16–18 °C

Decanting

Not necessary

Drinking window

2026 – 2039

0.75 L bottle · €30,00

Label of a wine from Château LaSuite aux Conseillans

Bottle of Gigue Bordeaux 2018 with a red capsule under a bright pergola, with a grilled dish and a view of the vineyard.

01 — 3 · drag to browse

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

Eight yearsin our own cellar.

2018 → 2026

In the glass

The flavour profile

Dense cherry and dark berry fruit, violet, a hint of white pepper. The hot 2018 vintage gives it concentration and powerful, still youthful tannins — powerful and almost weighty, yet kept in motion by its lively fruit. Aged in concrete tank with a small share of barrique, it stays clear and fresh. To open now with energy — or to lay down for a few years.

Dense cherry

Dark berry

Violet

White pepper

Youthful tannin

Maturity — how it drinks today

Eight years of ageing

The year 2018 offered winegrowers in Bordeaux little respite due to the sometimes exceptional weather conditions. Fortunately, the weather from mid-July to the end of September was particularly favorable for the ripening of the grapes and maintaining perfect health throughout the vineyard.

Optimal drinking window

2026 – 2039

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

96%Merlot

2%Cabernet Franc

2%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.

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 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 2018?

Released in 2026 — right at the start of its drinking window, which runs to 2039. With its energy it can be opened young, now — or laid down for a few years. Both ways are right.

Do I need to decant it?

Not necessary — the fruit and tannin are immediately expressive; lengthy aeration would rather veil the young fruit. Serve at 16–18 °C.

Why do you sell it while it is still young?

An honest position: those who seek the young energy open it now with hearty food; those who want the quiet companion lay it down for a few more years.

What does it pair with?

Young, with hearty grills: BBQ, tomahawk steak, ragù alla bolognese with youthful spice. It also carries hearty braises with ease.

Which grape varieties is it made from?

96 % Merlot, 2 % Cabernet Franc, 2 % Malbec — almost a single-varietal wine, from the Gigue terroir: clay of plot C7, gravel of C13, clay-gravel of C12.

Is the Gigue a light wine?

No. It is powerful and tannic, almost weighty — and, thanks to the hot 2018 vintage, especially concentrated. What keeps it supple is its lively fruit.

How does it differ from the 2016?

The same cuvée, a different vintage. 2016 drinks harmoniously and matured; 2018 is younger, more concentrated and more powerful. Equal editions, different moments.

How do I store it at home?

Cool (around 12–14 °C), dark and lying down. It develops over the years until around 2039. 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 2018

0.75 L bottle · €30,00

Edition of 12489 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.