Description
“Proprietor Joel Saurel, backed up by the inimitable Philippe Cambie as his consultant, has transformed this estate into one of the greatest in Gigondas, rivalling the two top producers, Yves Gras’ Santa Duc and Louis Barruol’s Saint Cosme.” Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate
“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 Media, Feb 2020
Domaine Saint-Damien is run by Joel and Amie Saurel and their son Romain who has now taken charge of the winemaking. The Saurel family had been tending vineyards for four generations, dating back to 1821, and until recently had been selling all of the grapes to negociants. In 1996 Joel resumed producing wine at the estate and in 1998 they brought on consulting winemaker Philippe Cambie. Vinification is classic with wines being fermented in large old cement tanks and aged in either cement tanks or large old foudres for the Gigondas.
Today the estate is comprised of 17 hectares of vineyards of which 12 are in Gigondas. All their vineyards are certified organic since 2012. The vines are an average age of 50 years and are very low yielding. The wines of Gigondas are bottled according to individual terroir (particularly soil type) known as the Saint Damien Trilogy. Incredibly complex geology/soils translates to terrific results.
The 2019 vintage marks the fifth excellent quality vintage in succession for the Southern Rhône. And by most accounts it’s quite possibly the runner-up to the ‘all-time-greatest’ 2016 vintage from those five. Which positions 2019 as very much a ‘must-have’ vintage, for lovers of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Gigondas in particular.
This fine blend of 80% Grenache (1948), 20% Mourvèdre (1977) is fermented on skins for 7 weeks before ageing in large old 50 hl foudres for 12 months before bottling un-fined and unfiltered.
94-96 points, Jeb Dunnuck, December 2020 ”Also showing considerable elegance, the 2019 Gigondas Les Souteyrades sports a ruby/purple hue to go with beautiful and exotic notes of black raspberries, kirsch, candied orange, violets, and peppery garrigue. Beautifully balanced, medium to full-bodied, and downright silky on the palate, this heavenly Grenache should be snatched up by readers. It’s going to keep for 15 years.”
93-95 points, The Wine Advocate, April 2021 ”Not as effusive on the nose as the La Louisiane, the 2019 Gigondas les Souteyrades is drier, sterner stuff—not as immediately approachable, with more savory notes of black olives and earth. There are still notes of ripe plums and raspberries in this full-bodied effort but also a firm core of dusty tannins to ensure more than a decade of longevity. It’s a blend of Grenache and Mourvèdre from a clay-rich, north-facing slope.”
Our Special Price $74.99 – LAST OF THIS VINTAGE!
