It's no exaggeration to say that well-travelled Benjamin Gras is crafting some of the most elegant and soulful wines in the Southern Rhône.
Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate
About the Wine
This wine has a foot in both camps. There is no denying that it is a full bodied, powerful creation, but you also have to respect the elegance and softness here. Most impressively, it has the confidence and charm to pull this off.
A 50/50 blend, it's hard to tell where the Grenache stops and the Mourvedre begins - both seamlessly meld into the other. There is plenty of bright forest fruits coming from one, and a whole lot of savoury complexity coming from the other. They both lift each other up, showing the inherent quality of this 150 year old vineyard.
About Santa Duc
Long seen as a benchmark in Southern Rhone, the wines of Santa Duc are known for their concentration and longevity. Founded in 1874, the estate is currently being led by 4th generation winemaker Yves Gras and his son, Benjamin. The estate has been producing organic wines since 1985 and all fruit is hand harvested, fermented using indigenous yeasts and bottled without filtration.
What truly sets them apart, though, is their preference for large format oak and clay amphora, allowing fruit quality to shine through. While some of the wines are traditional, muscular reds, each of them benefit from a level of elegance, restraint and grace which is unsurpassed in the region.
Southern Rhone, France
From the Producer
These are our historic parcels, the terroir in which the wines of our estate have been firmly rooted for six generations, starting when the Domaine was established in 1874. In 1852 the town council of Gigondas decided to auction 12 hectares of communal land, and the vines that were soon planted there revealed these great terroirs.
The wines that come from these parcels are profound and serious, with spicy, liquorice notes and chewy tannins which give them extraordinary cellaring capacity.
Blend : Grenache (50%), Mourvedre (50%)
ABV : 14%
Closure : Cork
Drink Until : 2035
Bottle Size : 750ml
Southern Rhone, France
Critic Reviews
"A 50-50 blend of Grenache and Mourvedre this vintage, the 2018 Gigondas Les Hautes Garrigues is more open and approachable than the somewhat dense and closed 2017. Floral hints of garrigue appear on the nose, and the fruit is less concentrated and suppler, making it easier to drink now. Mixed berries mark the full-bodied palate, framed by silky tannins and bright acids, leading into a long, mouthwatering finish." Joe Czerwinski
"This is a profound wine – a very lithe, full, flowing style, quite nakedly fruity. The acidity is a little on the low side and it’s currently pretty backward but harbouring some subtle floral and spice notes among the brooding black fruits. The Mourvèdre has a strong stamp on the wine this year. It’s very long and deep with a sonorous finish. From very old vines, biodynamically-grown on red clay and limestone, partly destemmed which then spends 18 months in recent 3,600l Stockinger barrels and 8,00l amphorae." - Matt Walls (Decanter)
Delivery is Free for any order of $99 or more, or just $10 for any orders less than $99. There is no minimum order quantity and you can mix and match as much as you like. Make your perfect mixed pack! In Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane & Byron Bay we deliver with our own vans. All other areas are serviced by Australia Post.
Sydney Metro orders in the Pink Zone will be delivered the next day 5 days per week, Monday through Friday. Orders in the Blue Zone will be delivered on Tuesdays and Fridays. Everything outside these zones will be delivered by Australia Post.
Melbourne Metro orders are picked up at 12pm from our Sydney warehouse every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and delivered the following day in Melbourne (Tues/Wed/Thurs/Fri). Please refer to this map to see if your address is considered Melbourne Metro here. Everything outside of this zone will be dispatched next business day with Australia Post.
Brisbane Metro orders are picked up from our Sydney warehouse every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 12pm and delivered on Thursday or Friday. Please refer to this map to see if your address is considered Brisbane Metro here. Everything outside of this zone will be dispatched next business day with Australia Post.
Australia Wide Deliveries To the rest of Australia we use Australia Post. The Australia Post Collection Truck picks up orders from our Sydney warehouse every weekday at midday. If your order is placed before 12pm we’ll get it on the truck that day. Delivery times vary considerably with Australia Post and unfortunately there is no Express Delivery Option for wine (because it is fragile and heavy). PLEASE NOTE that we are currently seeing significant delays in the Australia Post delivery network. Strict government health and safety requirements and very high parcel volumes are causing significant backlogs at the main NSW and VIC sorting facilities. Orders are still arriving safe and sound but you may notice slower delivery times and less frequent scanning updates than usual.
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Returns are free for 100 days after purchase. You can view the conditions of our return policy here
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I am trying to add more of a wine to my cart but it won’t let me? This means we are running low on stock of that wine. So for example, if the website will only allow you to add 3 bottles and no more, then that is all we have of that particular wine. The good news is we may be able to order more for you. Just contact us on 1300 668 385 or hello@differentdrop.com and we'll organise the additional quantity for you.
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