While there was not Grand Grenache in 2011 (it was a difficult year for Grenache), the 2012 Gigondas Grande Grenache 66 has loads to offer. A blend of 100% Grenache that comes from around the estate (which is on the flatter part of the appellation), it exhibits gorgeous kirsch, strawberry, licorice and crushed flower-like qualities as well as medium to full-bodied richness and depth on the palate. A beautiful example of the variety, with classy elegance and a gorgeous texture, it should be approachable on release and have 15 years or more of evolution.

The Wine Advocate, Inc. - Jeb Dunnuck (December, 2013)

Crème de Cassis and spring flowers!

When visiting the region earlier this year, Jeb Dunnuck from the Wine Advocate took a close look at the 2004 vintage in Gigondas. Here are his impressions on our wines:

Santa Duc Tradition 2004
Easily one of the top estates in Gigondas, Yves Gras’s Domaine Santa Duc produced one to the top wines in 2004. His straight 2004 Gigondas is a blend of 75% Grenache, 15% Syrah and the rest Cinsault that was aged in foudre and large oak tanks. Coming from a variety of terroirs, it offers a rich, meaty profile with notions of spiced meats, roasted herbs, sappy spring flower and assorted cherry and dark berry fruit all emerging from the glass. Medium-bodied, nicely textured and balanced, it’s a solid effort that should continue to drink nicely through 2019.

Santa Duc Prestige des Hautes Garrigues 2004
The top wine of the estate and a big step up, the 2004 Gigondas Hautes Garrigues comes from 50- to 80-year-old vines located around the estate and is a blend of 80% Grenache and 20% Mourvedre. Aged in a combination of new barrels and tank, it sports a still inky purple color to go with awesome aromas and flavors of creme de cassis, toasted spice, licorice and hints of charred beef. Full-bodied, vibrant and pure, with fantastic depth and concentration that hides ample underlying tannic grip, enjoy this knockout Gigondas through 2024.

Santa Duc Gigondas “Aux Lieux-Dits” 2011

A classic Gigondas with its rich, spice-laced aromas and flavors and medium to full-bodied, structured palate feel, the 2011 Gigondas Aux Lieux-Dits is a foudre aged blend of 75% Grenache, 15% Syrah and the rest Mourvedre and Cinsault. Mouth filling, with ripe tannin and a solid length on the finish, drink bottles over the coming 7-8 years.
Jeb Dunnuck December 2013, The Wine Advocate

Santa Duc Gigondas “Prestige des Hautes Garrigues” 2011

[...] Intense, deeply pitched dark fruit liqueur aromas are lifted by notes of fresh flowers and white pepper. Supple and expansive in the mouth, offering sweet boysenberry and cassis flavors that pick up smoke and mocha nuances with air. Velvety tannins frame the impressively persistent, palate-staining finish, which features notes of blueberry preserves and licorice. In a decidedly rich, broad-shouldered, very ripe style, especially for the vintage.
Josh Raynolds Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar

Santa Duc “Prestige des Hautes Garrigues” 2011

The 2011 Gigondas Prestige des Hautes Garrigues is also superb and shows classic Gigondas spice, licorice, leather and copious red and black fruits. A blend of 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah aged in older foudre, this medium to full-bodied effort has loads of texture, fine tannin and a decadent, heady finish. It opens up nicely in the glass and should shine for 10-12 years or so.
Jeb Dunnuck December 2013 - The Wine Advocate

The question amuses Jeb Dunnuck, the Wine Advocate’s new face and palate for the Rhône Valley, Languedoc, Washington and parts of California. I do not know his age, but he seems rather young. Anyway, he looks very sympathetic, the kind of guy you join for a beer after a long day of tasting wine (by the way, this it what I proposed to him for his trip to the Languedoc in January...).

«You know,» he answers, « tasting a lot of wines from the same region, or made with the same grape varieties, enables me to give an overview of the quality of this region or a specific vintage. My job is not to tell you what I like or not, even less what you should buy. By the way, no one needs to agree with my opinion.»

That’s right, no one needs to... Returning to my initial question, I show him one of his own «tweets», commented by Steve Heimhoff, another american wine writer.

«Top producers (Paso Robles)...»

«... this perhaps is an indication of his palate. Big, ripe, fruity, high alcohol wines? That would be in keeping with Parker.»

A French journalist mentions, that his writings on the 2010 vintage in the Rhône Valley were very similar to Robert Parkers opinion. Un unease...? Not at all, as Jeb wrote for his own former blog, The Rhône Report», on the 2010 vintage, without being accountable to anyone.

«Many people agree on the quality of the 2010 vintage in the Rhône Valley. That’s not a problem in itself. If I particularly appreciate some powerful wines, I also love a lot of elegant and subtle wines. I do not have a preference for one wine style or another and power in wine definitely is not a warranty for excellence.»

So it seems there is no «Dunnuck taste» to come. Just some impressions on Rhône wines, Rhône blends and others. Take it or leave it...

Six months after bottling we would like to refer to a new look at our Prestige des Hautes Garrigues and the stunning 2010 vintage.

At the first sniff, the nose is rather reserved, but it opens up quickly, evolving towards intensity and aromatic complexity. A lot of fruit and wild herbs – sweet and sour cherry, blueberry and raspberry, laurel and rosemary – attest the youth of the wine in the same way as cocoa, blond tobacco and cinnamon witness its ageing in wooden tanks for 18 months. On the palate freshness and minerality rule over volume and power, creating an elegant and feminine wine, whose powerful tannin structure though should not be underestimated. Pepper mingles with fruits, smoke with wild herbs, while dried figs and preserved lemons give length and depth to the final.

According to Robert Parker, this wine is sensational. “Its inky/purple color is accompanied by glorious aromas of creme de cassis, kirsch, blackberries and a cornucopia of roasted herb, meat and licorice smells. It possesses fabulous intensity, a multidimensional mouthfeel and a tremendously long finish that lasts 40+ seconds. This beauty should drink well for two decades.”