Domaine Santa Duc, Gigondas, Aux Lieux Dits, Southern Rhône, France, 2021

Producer Profile

Yves Gras is one of the strongest personalities in the Southern Rhône region; he is also very generous and has helped many young wine producers to improve their techniques & establish themselves within the market.

Since 2006, he has slightly softened his style by shortening the time of cuvaison and using different cooling methods in order to reduce some of the austerity that was previously characteristic of his wines. They still have plenty of local character & huge personality, but are certainly a little more approachable now in their youth. His son Benjamin has been in charge of the latest vintages; the results from the 23 hectares of vines are truly exceptional & have received great recognition from the press. “Straightforward and wise, Yves Gras is however one of the key figures of Gigondas. When he took over the Estate in 1985, he focused on producing wine with exemplary depth. Santa Duc vineyard is perfectly tended and meticulously maintained” Antoine Pétrus, Bettane & Desseauve Guide des Vins 2016

Viticulture

The parcels are all entirely around Gigondas, in eight different named places, or lieux-dits, from which it gets its name. Sand rich in red clay and coarse gravel from the colluvial Cône de la Font des Papes at Les Hautes Garrigues, Les Carbonnières, Les Rocassières and Les Routes. Sandy soil rich in red clay, gravel and marl from the colluvial Cône de la Font des Papes and Trignon at Santa Duc. Soils rich in fine matter, with grey pebbles, clay and sand with an influence from the Ouvèze terrace and, to a lesser extent, from the Cône de la Font des Papes at Les Pailleroudas. Blue Pliocene marl from the end of the Tertiary period at Goujard and Plane. Grey marl from the Cretaceous period, rich in limestone, at le Clos Derrière Vieille. Ecocert-certified organic and Demeter-certified biodynamic.

Winemaking

The grapes are hand-picked into crates and sorted manually in the vineyard before a second, table sorting in the cellar. A proportion is destemmed, the quantity being determined by the nature of the vintage and the parcel, and the grapes are fed by gravity into the vats to ensure the integrity of the berries. Fermentation takes place in thermo-regulated stainless-steel vats for 20 to 30 days, with two long pumping over sessions daily. Punching down is decided after tasting. Pressed pneumatically. Malolactic fermentation in vat. The wines are clarified by settling over winter in the cellar. Barrel filling occurs in the spring. Aged for 18 months in 36-hectoliter oak Stockinger foudres, and 8-hectoliter terracotta amphorae. Unfined and unfiltered at bottling.

Tasting Note

Fruit driven, with fine herbaceous notes in its youth, it generally undergoes a slow evolution towards more spicy notes after several years’ cellaring. This wine reflects all of their vineyards in Gigondas. Its character is drawn from eight different places, expressed through four Rhone grape varieties, each one of them bringing its personality and complementarity, contributing to the overall picture.

Food Matching

Barbecued grilled beef steak, game, lamb casserole.