On Sale: $49.94 (was: $69.94)*
Santa Duc has been our reference point in Gigondas for years now, with sixth generation proprietor Benjamin Gras overseeing the newly certified biodynamic estate with well-earned confidence. ‘Les Hautes Garrigues’ is Santa Duc’s flagship, from old head-pruned vines on a high plateau, and it’s an extraordinarily perfumed and refined Grenache/Mourvedre blend that defines their approach to Gigondas.
Benjamin Gras is “crafting some of the most elegant and soulful wines in the Southern Rhône” according to the Wine Advocate, and 'Les Hautes Garrigues' has no shortage of either elegance, or soul. You won’t find any vintage of this excellent bottling for under $50 and the 2017’s “suave blend of power and finesse” (Vinous) is a match for anything in Chateauneuf du Pape!
Benjamin Gras has slowly been taking the reins from his father Yves and, per Jeb Dunnuck, “continues to make an elegant, beautifully balanced style of wine from this benchmark estate.” Yves Gras helped put this estate on the map at a time when all anyone could talk about was Chateauneuf du Pape, and he did so by crafting a powerful and concentrated expression of Gigondas. The reality is that Santa Duc’s top Gigondas can easily compete with Chateauneuf at 2x the price, and there’s no doubt their wines have been reaching new heights. Benjamin Gras has confidently shifted the tone here in recent years, focusing more on elegance and terroir, and their flagship cuvee remains an absolute home run for under 50 bucks. Cheers!
95 points, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "Comprising of the estate's oldest vines—a mix of Grenache and Mourvèdre from the le plateau in front of the village—the 2017 Gigondas Les Hautes Garrigues features subtle hints of smoke and crushed stone on the nose alongside scents of dark plums and black cherries. It's firm and full-bodied, with the ripe tannins and concentrated fruit to support over a decade of aging, plus a long, intense finish that adds hints of star anise and cracked pepper."
94 points, Wine Spectator: "Gently mulled loganberry, plum and black currant fruit flavors form the core, with dark tea, tobacco and alder notes filling in on the finish and echoing nicely. Best from 2020 through 2030."
*Offer publication date March 3, 2022. Pricing and availability subject to change.