Domaine Santa Duc is arguably the benchmark and the best producer from the Gigondas, the French wine Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) in the southern Rhône wine region.

Yves Gras is the winemaker at Santa Duc, and 2010 is probably the best vintage we have seen the talented Yves Gras ever produce. Yves Gras is producing some amazing wines and we have increased the offerings from his ancient Gigondas sites as well as his relatively new Negoce wines and for the first time Chateauneuf from his new purchases!

Santa Duc is one of those producers that offer exceptional wines every year. 2010 is one of the absolute best.

Yves Gras, who is a charming, handsome and completely hands-on oenologist and the brains and talent behind this operation, took over from his father in 1985. He is one of the great characters of the region and is renowned for producing wines which are powerful evocations of the local terroir.

The wines of Yves Gras always demonstrate an immediately recognizable expression of the garrigue combined with a distinctive minerality from the sun-baked rocky soil. The grapes are farmed organically and harvested by hand, followed with a long maceration for several weeks and aging 18 months in casks.

"One of the long-time benchmarks for superb Gigondas is Yves Gras’ estate on the high plateau several kilometers outside the entrance to this old Roman village. He has also expanded into the negociant end of the business with his Santa Duc Selections, which are very reliable wines worth a serious look. Until 2007, there were consistently two cuvees of Gigondas made in top vintages. With the finest vintages, Gras has now added a 100% Grenache cuvee called Grand Grenache 66, from a tiny parcel of vines and essentially just one small foudre. Turning back to the basic wines, they offer good value and are top-flight wines. The newest baby for Yves Gras comes from his purchase of 1.23 hectares (essentially about 3+ acres) of old vines planted with 100% Grenache in the Chateauneuf du Pape lieu-dit in the very north known as Font du Loup." - Robert Parker

Get in quick and reserve your allocation!

The Domaine Santa Duc was founded in Gigondas in 1874 and has been passed down through five generations. Yves Gras, the current custodian, is a man full of character and is renowned for producing wines that are powerful and elegant examples of the local terroir. The vines are planted in the Garrigue on roasted, dry soils made of decomposed rock in a region characterized by wild herbs, sage and cedar.

Yves Gras, who took over from his father in 1985, has just converted the estate to organic viticulture to respect the earth that he inherited and which he will pass on to his children. The vines, grapes and wines are treated with the same respect: grapes are handpicked, only indigenous yeasts are used and no filtration is done before bottling.

The wine-growers of Gigondas follow a strict set of rules: a maximum yield fixed at 36 hl per hectare, sorting of the grapes so as to keep only the best… The grenache, mourvèdre, syrah and cinsault grape varieties of Santa Duc grow in two types of earth: the one being on the calcareous marls of the Cretaceous period on the area of land behind Vieille and the other being on the poor red stony clay soils of Quaternary period; these areas are the Hautes Garrigues, les Carbonnières, les Rocassières, Santa Duc, les Pailleroudas, les Goujard and Plane. The combination of these contrasting soils gives balanced wines, both full-bodied and yet elegant.

The offer:

• These wines are not available on our website and can be purchased by 'Replying' to this email.
• Quantities are very limited.
• Minimum purchases apply - see below.
• Orders above $250 will be freight free.
• Place your order by Replying to this email.
• Orders must be received by next Monday 22nd April and we'll be in touch to confirm availability.
• Wines sold on a first-come first-served basis.
• Some wines have already arrived and the rest will arrive next month, so you won't have long to wait for delivery.
• Payment won't be required until we have confirmed your allocation.

                                                                                                          Min order bottles    My order bottles

2010 VdP de Vaucluse Les Plans $19                            3

Grenache 50%, Syrah 25%, Merlot 15%, Cabernet 10% ‘Another decent value to look for is the 2010 Les Plans, made from mostly Grenache with a little Syrah and Mourvedre from outside the appellation, thus the Vin de Pays designation...’ 84-­86 Points -­ Robert Parker --‐ Wine Advocate #197

2010 Côtes-du­Rhône ‘Les Quatres Terres’ $29          3

Grenache 70 %, Syrah 25 %, Carignan + Cinsault 5 % from a collection of plots of vines planted on the Vacqueyras (cru), Roaix, Seguret and Rasteau Communes. This mix of four different origins, gave the wine its name: ‘The Four Lands’ (Les Quatres Terres). ‘The beautiful 2010 Cotes du Rhone Les Quatres Terres is as good as I expected after tasting it last year. It offers a medium to full-­bodied mouthfeel along with lots of beefy, blue and black fruit, spring flower, pepper and spice box characteristics.’ 89 Points -­ Robert Parker --‐ Wine Advocate #203

2009 Rasteau Vieilles Vignes ‘Les Blovac’ $35           3

70% Grenache, 15% Mourvedre and 15% Shiraz. ‘Readers looking for a blockbuster wine from the negociant end of this business should check out the 2010 Rasteau Les Blovac. These huge, massive wines are classic Rasteaus, made from old vines and possessing loads of chocolate, scorched earth, roasted herbs and layers of kirsch and even blacker fruits, with massive body and some tannins to shed. They are not for everybody, but they are intriguing wines that are faithful to their appellation.’ 90 Points -­ Robert Parker --‐ Wine Advocate #197

2010 Châteauneuf-du-Pape ‘Habemus Papam’ $109     1
2010 Châteauneuf-­du-­Pape ‘Habemus Papam’ MAGNUM $249    1

95% of old Grenache vines, 5% of Mourvèdre. This wine pays tribute to Jean XXII, who was the first pope to choose Avignon as a residence. He also planted the papal vineyards and ordered the building of the new castle - ‘Château Neuf’, the place that became Chateauneuf-du-Pape. ‘Dense and rich with a deeper color, the 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape Habemus Papam is a forward wine (because of the high Grenache component) displaying loads of incense, black cherry, black currant and cedary notes. Full, thick and juicy, it will provide plenty of pleasure over the next 12 years.’ 92 Points -­ Robert Parker --‐ Wine Advocate #203 

2010 Gigondas $49                                                              2        

Grenache 75 %, Syrah 15 %, Mourvèdre 5 %, Cinsault 5 % from 8 different areas of the Gigondas commune. ‘The 2010 Gigondas tips the scales at 16% natural alcohol. Made from a blend identical to the 2011, it reveals lots of glycerin along with a big, exuberant, flamboyant bouquet of black and red fruits, crushed rocks, white chocolate and hints of garrigue as well as pepper. This meaty, full-­bodied, dense 2010 will offer super drinking over the next 10-­15 years.’ 92 Points -­ Robert Parker --‐ Wine Advocate #203

2010 Gigondas ‘Prestige Des Hautes Garrigues’ $94   1
2010 Gigondas ‘Prestige Des Hautes Garrigues’ MAGNUM $189    1

Grenache Vieilles Vignes 80 %, Mourvèdre 15 %, Syrah 3 %, Cinsault 2 % exclusively planted on the Hautes Garrigues area (surrounding the winery). ‘There are 1,200 cases of the sensational 2010 Gigondas Prestige des Hautes Garrigues. Its inky/purple color is accompanied by glorious aromas of creme de cassis, kirsch, blackberries and a cornucopia of roasted herb, meat and licorice smells. It possesses fabulous intensity, a multidimensional mouthfeel and a tremendously long finish that lasts 40+ seconds. This beauty should drink well for two decades.’ 97 Points -­ Robert Parker --‐ Wine Advocate #203

2010 Gigondas ‘Grand Grenache 66’ $109     1
100% Grenache from the best vineyards of the estate. ‘Although it is almost impossible to find, Yves Gras’s 100% old vine Grenache, the 2010 Gigondas Grand Grenache 66 is well-­worth a search of the marketplace. Aged completely in foudre, it boasts over-­the-­top richness, a full-­bodied mouthfeel, lots of black fruits, loads of viscosity, alcohol and fruit extract and supple tannins. It, too, should drink well for 20 years.’ 96 Points -­ Robert Parker --‐ Wine Advocate #203