Les Pallières is tucked away in the north of [Gigondas], on the way towards Sablet, and on a hot summer’s day is enveloped in a stillness and a mantle of sweet Provençal aromas that make the visitor feel he is entering an enchanted garden.”

—John Livingstone-Learmonth, The Wines of the Rhône 

Livingstone-Learmonth wrote those words in 1992, six years before Daniel Brunier, vigneron of the renowned Vieux Télégraphe in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, joined Kermit for lunch at Chez Panisse. At lunch, Daniel casually mentioned that Les Pallières in Gigondas had just come up for sale. The Roux family had overseen the property since 1400. Now, in the spring of 1998, it was clear there was no successor to inherit the legendary domaine. Kermit told Daniel, “It is almost too perfect. Let’s do it, let’s buy it together.”
     Together, they prevailed over several other interested parties—including some big négociants who had placed higher bids—thanks to the chemistry and shared philosophy between the 73-year-old Pierre Roux and Daniel Brunier’s father Henri. First and foremost, they were old-school farmers who cared about expressing their land through their wines.
     Right away, Kermit and the Bruniers made a few important changes to the vinification of the domaine’s wines, most notably leaving them unfiltered. In the twenty years since we introduced the first vintage—1998—to newsletter readers, however, not much has changed, except that Les Pallières’ lone Gigondas bottling was split into two: Les Racines and the Terrasse du Diable. The wines have always been robust, but thanks to the Bruniers’ touch and the insistence they share with Kermit on no filtration, the rouges are vibrant, coursing with energy.
     At five years old, the 2015 Racines, made from 80% Grenache, 15% co-planted Syrah and Cinsault, and 5% Clairette from the domaine’s oldest vines, is in its early prime and will continue to evolve beautifully over the next ten years at least. Opening it now, your nose will be filled with notes of perfectly ripe black cherries, spices, and Provençal herbs—garrigue—whose aromas are released by the hot summer sun into the Gigondas air.