Lastly, the 2019 Gigondas Les Souteyrades is more classic, with pure dark, peppery fruits as well as garrigue, cedar, and leather notes. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated, and perfectly balanced, it has impressive tannins and will benefit from short-term bottle age. As with the other Gigondas here, you should expect 10-15 years of prime drinking. This cuvée is 80% Grenache and 20% Mourvèdre, aged all in foudre.

(93-95 points) Not as effusive on the nose as the La Louisiane, the 2019 Gigondas les Souteyrades is drier, sterner stuff—not as immediately approachable, with more savory notes of black olives and earth. There are still notes of ripe plums and raspberries in this full-bodied effort but also a firm core of dusty tannins to ensure more than a decade of longevity. It's a blend of Grenache and Mourvèdre from a clay-rich, north-facing slope. - JC

Vivid ruby. Highly perfumed, mineral-accented red berry preserve and cherry aromas are complemented by suggestions of smoked meat and pungent flowers. It's energetic and precise on the palate; sappy raspberry and bitter cherry flavors deepen and become sweeter as the wine unfurls. Juicy and concentrated but energetic as well, displaying superb clarity and spicy thrust on the wonderfully long, penetrating finish, which features harmonious tannins and repeating spiciness. -- Josh Raynolds