Tag Archives: Gigondas

Domaine Saint Damien Gigondas ‘Les Souteyrades Vieilles Vignes’ 2019, Rhone, France

18 Saturday Jun 2022

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I drank the 2017 Les Souteyrades back in October, served with Tri-tip roast, and loved it.  Tonight is a repeat with this newer vintage.  Medium ruby colored in the glass it offers up medium intensity aromas of red raspberry, black cherry, licorice, spicy oak, dried thyme and bacon fat.  The palate is dry with medium acidity, medium tannins, a medium (+) body and delicious flavors of raspberry, black cherry, spice, toasted oak and licorice. The finish is long and a touch astringent from the tannins that are very smooth, of medium intensity yet persistent.  I like this $35 blend of Grenache and Mourvedre a lot , like 94 points worth.  I would drink/cellar this 5 star effort till 2032 at the least, it will develop nicely.  Salut….

Domaine de Saint Gens Gigondas Cuvee de l’Ancien Oratoire 2017, Rhone, France

28 Saturday May 2022

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A blend of 65% Grenache and 35% Syrah, this Rhone wine has a medium ruby color in the glass.  The nose has a perfume meets rich plums and blackberry.  I am desperate to find the garigue and game these two varietals are known for but they elude me for oak influence of vanilla and coffee along with some green leaf hints.  The palate is interesting- dry and a touch tart with medium (+) tannins and medium to full body.  I get a definitive charred wood note along with the black fruit, vanilla, coffee and tomato leaf. There might be a touch of licorice in there to boot.  The wine gets pretty grippy on the back end as it flexes its muscles on the medium length finish.  I like it but feel it could use some cellaring.  It’s a bit one dimensional right now and the tannins need to mellow out a bit.  It got big scores from the pros but in my book this $30 bottle is a 91 pointer that gets 4 stars.  Drink from 2024-2030.  Salut….

Domaine Saint Damien Gigondas La Louisiane Vieilles Vignes 2017, Rhone, France

25 Wednesday May 2022

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This Grenache is medium ruby colored with thick, slow moving legs down the side of the glass showing off its 15% ABV.  The nose has raspberry, blackcurrant, red currant, toasty oak, spice box, vanilla, coconut and black cherry.  The palate is dry with fine-grained tannins balancing out some medium acidity.  The fruit flavors are delicious yet not over-ripe.  Black and red currants, some black cherry and raspberry mix with oak influence by way of the toast and spice box.  There is a licorice component I did not get on the nose and the coconut/vanilla is ever so feint on the palate.  The tannins are pretty grippy on the back end and the finish is quite a juicy and long affair.  This medium to full bodied wine is drinking nicely now but will cellar well into 2030 methinks.  It begs for rack of lamb with a garlic mousse and some grilled veggies.  93 points for this $36 effort makes it a 5 star wine in my book.  Salut….

Domaine Saint Damien Gigondas Vieilles Vignes 2017, Rhone, France

17 Sunday Apr 2022

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I’ve been on a big Grenache kick lately and bought several different offerings from this producer whom I’ve tried before.  This one is medium ruby colored and has some nice red fruit and meaty aromas.  Raspberry, black cherry, bacon, lavender, red plum, red licorice and sweet cedar.  The palate is dry and tannic upfront.  Great acidity balances the well integrated tannic component and the flavors are delicious.  Red fruit, Ceylon tea, game, florals and oak nuance all mingle together.  The mid palate has a slight astringency akin to tea meets charred oak and mineral slate.  The finish is quite long for this full bodied wine that needs a bit of time to flesh out methinks.  I think it will be a great wine in a few years but right now it turned a bit angular on me.  I’m going with 90 points for now on this $32 blend that has some Mourvedre in it.  4 stars with a drink between 2024-2030 window.  Salut….

Domaine Saint Damien Gigondas ‘Les Souteyrades Vieilles Vignes’ 2017, Rhone, France

21 Thursday Oct 2021

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I’m grilling Beef Tri-tip tonight so a hearty French red will do the trick.  This blend of Grenache and Mourvedre is semi opaque ruby with watery legs which is a bit suspect as the label clearly states 15% ABV!  The nose has got good red fruit flavors of raspberry, redcurrant, oak nuances of charred wood and clove alongside pepper, cinnamon and some meaty characteristics-perhaps from the dash of Mourvedre?  Anyways, the palate is super smooth with gorgeously integrated tannins, medium acidity and medium body.  The mouthfeel is stupendous.  All the aromas I got are mirrored on the palate with some Rooibos tea as well.  The mid palate and finish are where the tannins start to grip a touch, nothing overdone.  The back end is very smooth and it lasts a good long while.  A very impressive wine that is ready to go and will last till 2030 at the very least.  93 points from me and at $34 it is a great intro to yummy Southern Rhone wines.  5 stars.  Salut….

Domaine Saint Damien Gigondas La Louisiane 2018, Rhone, France

03 Sunday Jan 2021

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Tonight is the first Sunday of the New Year, which means we are celebrating 2021 with a standing Rib Roast plus all the trimmings. A juicy, fatty cut like this needs a tannic wine, so I searched for something young that would help temper the Beef.

This Grenache is semi opaque in the glass and a pretty shade of purple. The nose is very inviting- black raspberry, bacon, blueberry jam and a hint of blackberry. Very intricate and complex. The palate is beautiful, with a perfect set of tannins for my meal. The flavor profile is more black fruit with some very well integrated oak nuances. Violets and lavender also come to mind. The mid palate has lush dollops of more black fruit and a tea component. The tannins are really fine grained but ever present for a really delicious mouthfeel. The finish has a definitive blueberry note that I got from the nose. Very complex and swirling, this wine is a treat. I paid $35 for this stunner that scored upwards of 97 points with the pros. I have to say, it is really delicious but a touch young… worthy of at least 95 points which makes it a 5 star effort that I will be stocking up on. I plan to drink until 2028 at the very least. Salut….

Domaine du Grand Montmirail Le Côteau de Mon Rêve Gigondas 2017, Rhone, France

29 Tuesday Dec 2020

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Very dark red/purple in the glass. On the nose this Grenache blend gives me some raspberry, game, violets and pomegranate. The palate is exceedingly smooth with layers of dark red fruits. Raspberries, rhubarb, pomegranate, blueberry and Ceylon tea notes are abundant. There is a very lithe tannic component with really mellow, balancing acidity to give this wine a nice mouthfeel. The mid palate goes a touch drier but the fruit components remain the same. The finish has more black tea and is quite dry, the tannins kicking it up a notch. Very smooth still and tasty to boot. Moxie is fixing up some Filets and this was the perfect pairing for the lean meat. I really am enjoying the melange of red and blue fruits as well as the structure of this wine. I’m going with 92 points. The pros went way higher (96 and 95). Lovely stuff that can be had for $30 and gets 5 stars from me. Blended with Syrah and Mourvedre as is typical for Rhone wines. Drink till 2029. Salut….