Description

Domaine Saint Damien 2015 Gigondas Vieilles Vignes
80% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre| Alc: 15.0% – Big, Smooth and Supple
Rhone Valley, France

Winemaker’s notes:
Saint Damien was an early Christian saint martyred in the year 287 A.D. There is a chapel to his honor in the tiny hamlet of La Baumette, just outside the village of Gigondas, where Joel Saurel lives. M. Saurel’s ancestors thus took the name Saint Damien for the domaine. The domaine’s claim to fame are their superb Gigondas cuvees.

Critical Acclaim:
“A bit foursquare compared to the other cuvées, the 2015 Gigondas Classique Vieilles Vignes is nevertheless a solid example of its terroir. A full-bodied blend of 80% Grenache and 20% Mourvèdre aged only in foudres, it offers black cherry fruit, ample weight on the palate and some licorice and drying tannins on the finish. At Domaine Saint Damien, there are four Gigondas cuvées, although the Clovis Saurel isn’t bottled every year. It’s a small, family domaine with the magnificently mustachioed Joël Saurel at the helm, although son Romain is increasingly confident in the winery. This is a reference point for traditional Gigondas, but the family also owns a small portion of Côtes du Rhône Villages Plan de Dieu. We finished up with a handful of older wines, which I noted for readers who may have cellared them.” – The Wine Advocate

“The 2015 Gigondas Vieilles Vignes offers the most finesse and elegance of the three cuvees, and is slightly less exotic, yet more refined and pretty. Offering lots of strawberry and framboise fruits, loads of cedary spice, full-bodied richness and building, polished tannin, this terrific wine shines for its purity and finesse. Drink it anytime over the coming decade.” 93 Pts – Jeb Dunnuck

Love Châteauneuf-du-Pape but not the price, try this beauty! Like any big wine this will benefit from aeration or a year or two in the cellar.

Organic!

Tipsy Knitter Wines – Your Seattle based, online wine shop