Gigondas, Classique Vieilles Vignes, Domaine Saint-Damien 2023
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Why this wine
Gigondas sits alongside Châteauneuf-du-Pape at the warm southern end of the Rhône and gives much of the same weight and spice. This is old-vine Grenache on limestone and clay, fermented slowly in concrete and aged in foudre, then bottled unfined and unfiltered. Certified organic since 2012.
At a glance
- Grape
- Grenache 80%, Mourvèdre 20%
- Region
- Rhône Valley, France
- Alcohol
- 15.00%
- Body
- Full
- Acidity
- Medium
- Tannins
- Medium
- Sweetness
- Dry
- Drink
- Medium (5-10 yrs)
- Pairs with
- Red Meat, Cheese, Barbecue
How it tastes
Rich black cherry and prune, with cracked pepper and a savoury, almost meaty undertow. Full-bodied and warm at 15%, smooth rather than grippy, with gentle acidity and a long, spicy finish. Grenache 80%, Mourvèdre 20%.
The producer
Four generations of the Saurel family have farmed this estate at La Baumette, a hamlet just outside the village of Gigondas, since 1821; the name Saint Damien, the early Christian saint honoured by the chapel there, entered the name of the domaine in 1979, and Romain Saurel joined his father in 2013. The vines grow on limestone and clay with glacial deposits, worked under lutte raisonnée since 1996 and certified organic since 2012. Fermentation was long and slow, six weeks in concrete vats, and the wine then spent twelve months in oak foudres before being bottled without fining or filtration.
Food and drinking
Serve at 16-18°C. It handles slow-cooked lamb shoulder, beef daube, merguez off the barbecue or a mature sheep's cheese. Drinking well now and over the next three to five years; an hour in a decanter opens out the fruit. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.