Saint Damien 2019 Gigondas Vieilles Vignes 750ml

Moving to the three Gigondas I was able to taste, the 2019 Gigondas Vieilles Vignes comes from a mix of terroirs on the lower plain, around the estate, and is mostly Grenache brought up in larger, very old foudre and concrete tanks. Deep purple/ruby hued, with a beautiful perfume of black raspberries, candied flowers, and sweet garrigue, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a silky texture, great tannins, and plenty of length on the finish. This is a more finesse-driven, silky, elegant wine than past vintages and it's going to drink nicely for over a decade.

Score: 91-93 points -- Jeb Dunnock, jebdunnock.com, 2020

---

Domaine Saint-Damien has been producing some of the region’s most elegant wines for years, but for some reason they rarely get the attention they deserve. Pricing here is also admirably fair, which makes this an address to be reckoned with for savvy Rhône wine lovers. The Saurel family, which has been farming here since 1821, now owns just over 12 hectares of vines in Gigondas, most of them quite old and cropped low, and the wines are aged in large, traditional concrete vats and old foudres and usually bottled on the young side “to preserve freshness,” as Romain Saurel said. Saurel’s father, Joël, is largely responsible for the domaine’s current (insider) fame and was also the one who brought its vineyards up to Agriculture Biologique certification in 2012. These wines are now consistently delivering some of the southern Rhône’s greatest values in high-end wine.

-- Vinous