Name
Gigondas VV
Order #
916769
Producer
Domaine St Damien
Vintage
2006
Price
$25.71
About
St. Damien was an Early Christian saint (martyred in the year 287 A.D.), considered the patron saint of doctors. There was 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.
La Baumette is the "hot corner" of the Gigondas appellation – great exposure, galets roulees like Chateauneuf. Some of the oldest vines of the appellation are in this area, and Joel Saurel owns a nice chunk of them over 100 years old. Largely Grenache (over 90%), traditional vinification (no pigeage or new oak here!) and bottling without fining or filtering, result in full-bodied, complex classic Gigondas. Even our "basic" cuvee is from vines averaging 70 years.
Souteyrade is one Joel's best parcels, particularly in hot years, making a true vin de garde Gigondas, with great weight and power, as well as majestic structure.
M. Saurel also has a few hectares of Cotes du Rhone in the Plan de Dieu, also in old vines. From these low yielding vines comes a warm, rich, spicy Cotes du Rhone – all one needs in a glass of wine.
La Baumette is the "hot corner" of the Gigondas appellation – great exposure, galets roulees like Chateauneuf. Some of the oldest vines of the appellation are in this area, and Joel Saurel owns a nice chunk of them over 100 years old. Largely Grenache (over 90%), traditional vinification (no pigeage or new oak here!) and bottling without fining or filtering, result in full-bodied, complex classic Gigondas. Even our "basic" cuvee is from vines averaging 70 years.
Souteyrade is one Joel's best parcels, particularly in hot years, making a true vin de garde Gigondas, with great weight and power, as well as majestic structure.
M. Saurel also has a few hectares of Cotes du Rhone in the Plan de Dieu, also in old vines. From these low yielding vines comes a warm, rich, spicy Cotes du Rhone – all one needs in a glass of wine.
Review
2006 Vintage: "The well-made 2006 Gigondas Vieilles Vignes' deep ruby/purple hue is followed by aromas of black cherries, raspberries, spring flowers, earth, and spice. Not as extravagantly rich as the 2007, it is a medium-bodied, well-balanced wine to consume over the next 7-8 years. Proprietor Joel Saurel's goal is to produce Gigondas as fine as those fashioned by the appellation's two superstars, Domaine Santa Duc and Chateau Saint-Cosme. An estate to watch, Saint-Damien produces three sensational cuvees of Gigondas as well as two stunning, value-priced Cotes du Rhones, which readers should be buying by the trunkful. As one might expect, the 2007 Gigondas look very strong, but Saurel also succeeded in 2006, a difficult vintage in Gigondas. $36-42"
90 Points, Robert Parker, Wine Advocate #181.
2005 Vintage: 92 Points "Ruby-red. Bright, highly aromatic red berry and cherry scents are complicated by a sexy floral character. Pliant raspberry and cherry preserve flavors are gently supported by silky tannins and finish with impressive cut and lift. Very elegant wine. $28" International Wine Cellar Jan/Feb 2008
Print Page90 Points, Robert Parker, Wine Advocate #181.
2005 Vintage: 92 Points "Ruby-red. Bright, highly aromatic red berry and cherry scents are complicated by a sexy floral character. Pliant raspberry and cherry preserve flavors are gently supported by silky tannins and finish with impressive cut and lift. Very elegant wine. $28" International Wine Cellar Jan/Feb 2008
