2009 Domaine Santa Duc Gigondas Prestige des Hautes Garrigues

(80% grenache and 20% mourvedre): Deep ruby. Sexy blackberry and blackberry scents verge on liqueur-like, with bright mineral and spice notes providing energy. Lush, creamy and smooth, with densely packed dark berry flavors lifted by a spicy nuance. Supple tannins add shape to the very long, sweet, clinging finish. Incidentally, the 2006 version of this wine is drinking wonderfully, based on a bottle that I tried in New York in December. It is just hitting its plateau of maturity and will provide great pleasure for at least the next few years.

Author: Josh Raynolds

Issue: January/February 2012

A true whopper, and one of the great examples I have tasted from Yves Gras is his 2009 Gigondas Prestige Les Hautes Garrigues. It possesses 16.5% natural alcohol, and the level of concentration is remarkable. Inky purple to the rim, this wine, which is aged 20% in new oak casks and the rest in older wood and foudres, has a stunning nose of lead pencil shavings, incense, camphor, barbecue smoke, blackberry, cassis and kirsch. Its smorgasbord of aromas follow through in the mouth. A blend of 80% Grenache and 20% Mourvedre, with ripe Mourvedre giving structure and a meaty complexity to the wine, this is a massive Gigondas that will hit its stride in 2-3 years, and last for two decades. I am not exaggerating its aging potential, as I still have bottles of the 1989 Prestige Les Hautes Garrigues that are fully mature, but gorgeous.

Author: Robert Parker