Varietal: Old Grenache vines 60%, Syrah 20%, Mourvèdre 10%
This wine: Blend of old vines planted in several cool areas of the southern Côtes-du-Rhône. Each soil origin: Sands, Marls and Red Clays contributes to the overall picture.
Taste: This medium-bodied wine offers a beautiful aromatic freshness with notes of black fruits and kirsch, pepper and garrigue, embellished with some notes of tobacco leaf. Absolutely charming.
Pairing: The beautiful thing about Southern Rhone wines is that they’re just so versatile! Great alone, but amazing with casseroles, cassoulet (you can save yourself the effort of making it yourself and pre-order it from Cafe Campagne), braises, roasts, lamb dishes, Mediterranean cuisine and North-African fare.
By dint of faith and sheer hard work, the wine-growers of Gigondas have replaced the olive tree with the vine. They have thereby made a name for themselves. Here, wild and uncommon, a bird watches over the domain : the Grand-duc owl which sings, (known as "Canta duc" in Provencal), his name has become over time "Santa Duc."
Domaine Santa Duc was first established in 1874 in the Southern Rhone cru of Gigondas. Yves stopped selling the crop off to négociants in 1985 in favor of bottling his own wine instead. The winery was recently certified organic in 2012. Yves practices de-budding early in the growing season to lend rigor to the fruit, leaf-pulling to increase circulation, and early harvests to preserve freshness. Yves farms 12.5 hectares oflieux-dits throughout Gigondas. Generous, fruity and concentrated, the vines reflect the soil and the way in which they are produced.
