2016 Domaine Saint-Damien Gigondas Cuvée Les Souteyrades Vieilles Vignes
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Tasting notes
Limpid violet color. A suave, expansive bouquet evokes ripe cherry, raspberry, floral and exotic spice qualities and picks up subtle garrigue and earth nuances as the wine opens up. Alluringly sweet and seamless in texture, offering palate-staining red fruit liqueur, star anise and candied violet flavors that put on weight through the mid-palate. Discreet, polished tannins lend shape to an impressively long, smooth finish that emphatically echoes the floral and spice notes.
Critic scores
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
The 2016 Gigondas Les Souteyrades checks in as 80% Grenache and 20% Mourvèdre that was brought up all in foudre. It's another powerful, concentrated, awesome wine that has slightly more exotic notes of black raspberries, crushed flowers, spice, and sappy garrigue. I almost always find a citrus note in this cuvée, which is full-bodied, opulent and mouthfilling on the palate, yet always stays graceful and lively.
A blend of 80% Grenache and 20% Mourvèdre grown on north-facing gray clays, the 2016 Gigondas les Souteyrades has closed down since bottling and now looks was if it will need short-term cellaring to bounce back. It's full-bodied, rich and tannic, with peppery notes accenting the intense raspberry and stone fruit flavors that come to the fore on the finish, always a good sign for the future. Tasted twice, with consistent notes.
Lurid violet. Sexy, spice- and mineral-accented red fruit liqueur and potpourri aromas are complemented by a strong topnote of exotic spices. Juicy, palate-staining Chambord, cherry preserve, spicecake and lavender pastille flavors deepen with air while maintaining energy. Closes extremely long and sweet, with resonating spiciness, smooth, slow-building tannins and an emphatic echo of sappy red fruit.