2017 Santa Duc Gigondas Les Hautes Garrigues, Southern Rhone

A blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Mourvèdre, the 2017 Gigondas Les Hautes Garrigues is less aromatic than it was last year, folding in darker notes of black cherries and chocolate. Yet it's still wonderfully full and textured, with a plush, velvety feel and a long finish. It seems to grow in aroma and flavor the longer it's in the glass, always a good sign. Drink: 2020-2030

95-97 points Joe Czerwinski robertparker.com Aug 2019

Plot of vines planted exclusively on the land of the Hautes Garrigues by which the area is named and which serves as the center of the domain.
Grenache 65%, Mourvèdre 35%. (Old vines). Aged In recent casks (foudres) and terracotta jars for 18 months

Santa Duc Gigondas Les Hautes Garrigues is a powerful and deeply expressive Southern Rhône wine, drawn from one of Gigondas’ most revered high altitude lieux dits. Les Hautes Garrigues sits on the upper terraces of the appellation, where old Grenache vines grow on rocky limestone and clay soils scattered with galets, surrounded by wild garrigue of thyme, rosemary and lavender. The elevation brings cooler nights and constant airflow, preserving freshness and aromatic detail while still allowing full phenolic ripeness. This combination gives Les Hautes Garrigues its signature intensity, savoury complexity and remarkable balance.

Domaine Santa Duc has been a Gigondas reference since 1874, but its modern reputation was shaped under the leadership of the late Yves Gras, one of the Rhône’s most influential figures. Yves was instrumental in elevating Gigondas to the same serious conversation as Châteauneuf du Pape, championing old vines, low yields and precise site expression. Today the estate is run by his son Benjamin Gras, who continues the family’s commitment to organic viticulture and terroir driven winemaking while refining purity and elegance. Les Hautes Garrigues is typically dominated by very old vine Grenache, handled with care to preserve fruit intensity and natural structure, with élevage designed to frame rather than dominate the wine.

In the glass the wine shows a deep, dark ruby colour. Aromas are intense and layered, offering black cherry, ripe raspberry and plum alongside notes of licorice, cracked pepper, dried herbs and a distinctive garrigue character. The palate is full bodied and commanding, delivering dense dark fruit, savoury spice and firm, fine grained tannins balanced by freshness and mineral tension. Despite its power, the wine remains poised and energetic, finishing long and resonant. It is superb with slow cooked lamb, game, beef and Provençal cuisine, and it is built to age confidently for fifteen to twenty years, developing notes of leather, dried herbs and earthy complexity over time.

Santa Duc Gigondas Les Hautes Garrigues is a benchmark Southern Rhône wine, combining old vine depth, wild landscape character and thoughtful winemaking into a wine of both authority and finesse.