While it is true that (a) both Gigondas and Châteauneuf are Grenache-based blends, and (b) the two towns are only about 10 miles apart, they are nevertheless very different terroirs. The vineyards of Châteauneuf-du-Pape are lower-lying hills and alluvial plateaus with high percentages of sand and river cobble, while the vineyards of Gigondas climb to higher elevations, into the foothills of the limestone-rich Dentelles de Montmirail—a shark-toothed mountain range that looms over the town and shapes the style of its wines. 

This is Santa Duc’s home, and it has been since 1874. More recently, it has emerged as the standard-bearer of top quality. Its gatekeeper extraordinaire, Yves Gras, took over the estate in 1985, setting out to achieve the nearly impossible—that intangible balance of richness and freshness. It’s a song on repeat: We hear the word “balance” all the time, but in a region where sun is easy, alcohol creeps up fast, and secondary aromas soar high, balance is easier to talk about than execute. A few of Yves’ touches include (1) no more small barrels, they were replaced with larger casks and terracotta amphorae, (2) less extraction, and (3) and less whole bunch fermentation. These adjustments have produced extraordinary results across the whole range of Santa Duc wines. What’s more, his son, Benjamin, recently joined his side in 2016 and immediately implemented biodynamic principles.

“Aux Lieux-Dits” is a blend of Santa Duc’s eight unique parcels throughout Gigondas. Their vines are buried in a diverse range of soils—from red and blue clays to limestone to alluvial—that are manually farmed, harvested, and sorted by hand. The fruit for this 2016, mostly Grenache with splashes of Syrah and Mourvèdre and a touch of Cinsault, is partially de-stemmed and given a brief maceration (no heavy extraction here!). Following an ambient-yeast fermentation, the wine is aged in large foudres and terra cotta vessels before blending and “tightening up” in stainless steel. All in all, 18 months pass before bottling. 

Grenache can be finicky: sometimes it shows better in a Burgundy glass, other times a Bordeaux glass suffices. Due to the generosity of the fruit here and the blend of Syrah & Co., we opted for the latter after allowing it to breathe for 30-60 minutes in a decanter. It’s common to hear the word “power” when talking about the wines of the Southern Rhône, but today’s Gigondas has intensity, not power; in wine talk, these are two very different things. Power trumps elegance, but intensity drives elegance—it drives purity and freshness, all the qualities we seek out in the finest examples of wine. While deep and intensely concentrated in the glass, the dark fruit on display is explosively vivid: black cherry liqueur, cassis, dried strawberry, and framboise are intertwined with dried clay, black pepper, violets, smoked meat, olives, and Rhône Valley’s signature garrigue. Lush fruit, a solid tannic ballast from the Syrah and Mouvèdre, and an earthy, mineral edge on the mid-palate all culminates on a long, savory finish that reveals the quintessential soul of Rhône. What a magnificent $39 treat! This ‘16 can be enjoyed now, but I believe its best window will be from 2022-2030, so stash a few bottles away in the cold reaches of your cellar. Cheers!