Les Souteyrades Gigondas Red Rhone Blend

Finally hitting its stride. Wonderful singed herbs and a beautiful meld of tannins and alcohol. Better than many a CDP.

We tasted nine Gigondas, 2003-2010, from Domaine Saint-Damien, Domaine Santa Duc and Chateau de Saint Cosme, considered by many to be the top three domaines.  Last but not least

Overripe and atypical (not in a good way). Nose has loads of sweet prunes and some spice. Fruity and full in the mouth. Still quite a bit of soft tannin. Not a hella concentration, complexity, or length.

Chambord poured over crushed strawberries, hot stones, and garrigue. Under pinnings of animal and leather. Very tight, and wound, but that all works out with its fresh character and strong mineral backbone. Raw and angry, just perfect for young Gigondas

This is an exceptional wine, organically produced and still a great value. 80% Grenache and 20% Mourvedre yields a wine with a nose redolent of smoke, violets, strawberry and truffle. On the Palate it has medium tannin and acidity and yields a full bodied wine that is wonderfully while with great finesse. Terrific depth of flavor with opulent fruit that avoids any sense of jamminess. Gorgeous and its only drawback is it is so easy to drink it disappears with alarming rapidity. Beautiful food wine (great pairing with Kung Pao chicken)

We had a couple of friends over and did a fun little 2010 Saint-Damien Gigondas side-by-side consisting of “La Louisiane” and “Les Souteyrades”. Both wines were opened six hours prior to service; each spent three hours in the decanter and also slow-ox’ed in the bottle for an additional three. I initially questioned whether decanting was even necessary but after reading some of the notes on CT and trying a small bit after pulling the corks, it seemed to me that air would be beneficial.

The “Les Souteyrades” was a trip to the Woodland Realm. On the nose this was brambles, oud (agarwood), boiled spinach, curaçao, smoke and mushrooms. A much more powerful and rustic wine than “La Louisiane”. This should drink well for another decade.

Charred cherry. Low acidity. Soft . Was really liking this as a post dinner sipper. Opened up best after two hours to reveal a bit of pepper and earth.

Medium ruby red with garnet edges. Elegant and layered nose with lavender, olives, strawberries and graphite. Medium tannins (5.5/10) and medium bodied. Fresh acidity. Balanced palate with floral notes, white pepper, raspberries, strawberries, minerality and a touch of leather. Long and dry finish. Drink till 2022.

Amazing value for around $20.00. Believe this is 80% Grenache and 20% Mourvèdre.

Absolutely beautiful that is showing perfectly at this stage.

Tops in last night's tasting. Ripe and dark fruit delivered in a mid- textured and colored glass. Finishes with tart and spice. It seems to me that this wine is delivering really great value at its price.