2021 Santa Duc Gigondas Les Hautes Garrigues

Elegant to the core, the 2021 Gigondas Les Hautes Garrigues dazzles with fragrant orange peel, rose petal, raspberry, blueberry and black cherry. Minty and earthy gradations complement the aromatic profile. Firm tannins frame this medium to full-bodied 2021 red, giving way to a stimulating finish. Readers should note that the addition of the word Préstige to the wine name was removed, as winemaker and proprietor Benjamin Gras felt it was too generic.

Lastly, the 2021 Gigondas Les Hautes Garrigues is the flagship release and comes from older vines around the estate, on the lower plateau. Based on equal parts Grenache and Mourvèdre that was not destemmed and was raised in Stockinger foudres and 20% in terracotta, it has lots of wild strawberry, peppery garrigue, and leather notes to go with a juicy, lively, vibrant style on the palate. It's balanced and has the vintage’s fresher, focused style, fine tannins, and outstanding length. It's going to have 10-12 years of prime drinking and should clearly be an outstanding wine.

Bright ruby. Deeply perfumed aromas of ripe red and blue fruits, lavender, incense, licorice and exotic spices. Sweet and expansive on the palate, this wine offers lush black raspberry, boysenberry, fruitcake and allspice flavors braced by a core of juicy acidity. Shows excellent clarity and emphatic, spicy thrust on a wonderfully long, sappy finish framed by velvety, well-integrated tannins. Raised in Stockinger oak foudres and clay amphoras.