From the lightest, sandiest soils in the Gras Châteauneuf stable, the 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Saintes Vierges is a blend of 80% Grenache, 18% Mourvèdre and 2% Cousoise. Befitting its origins, it's the most perfumed of the three wines this year, with floral, rose-like notes, a veritable potpourri of spice and herb shadings and a vibrant core of red berries. It's labeled (like the others) at 14% alcohol but feels lighter on the palate, soaring in silky arches of intermingled red berries and delicate tannins, then lingering elegantly on the finish.
Perfumes of violet and rose petal linger from nose to finish in this graceful red. Made with 90% Grenache (augmented by 9% Mourvèdre and 1% Counoise), the wine is sourced from sandy soils in the lieu-dit Les Saintes Vierges. Pristine and piercing red-cherry and raspberry flavors tread softly on silk-tipped tannins. Thrilling young, the wine should hold well through 2035.
Moving to the three Châteauneuf du Pape that I was able to taste, 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Saintes Vierges shows a beautiful bouquet of kirsch liqueur and wild strawberry-like fruits interwoven with notes of dried flowers, new leather, and Asian spices. These all carry over to the palate where the wine is medium to full-bodied, has a seamless texture, ultrafine tannins, and a great finish. This beautiful, elegant, floral, already complex Châteauneuf du Pape is ideal for drinking over the coming 12 to 15 years. The young yet obviously talented Benjamin Gras continues to make an elegant, beautifully balanced style of wine from this benchmark estate in Gigondas, which now also produces a handful of terrific Châteauneuf du Pape. He’s made the most of the 2018 vintage, and these are impressive wines.
Soft-edged, with elegant cassis, blood orange and cherry puree notes gliding through, lined with light hints of rose petal, red licorice and lavender through the finish. Drink now through 2035.
Technical Details
Blend80% Grenache, 10% Mourvedre and 10% Counoise
WinemakerBenjamin Gras
CountryFrance
RegionRhone Valley
AppellationChateauneuf-du-Pape
VineyardLes Saintes Vierges
Farming MethodOrganic & Biodynamic
Aging/Cooperage18 months in 36 hectoliter oak stockinger foudres and 8 hectoliter terracotta amphorae
Alcohol14.5%
Shop All Wines Domaine Santa Duc Chateauneuf-du-Pape Les Saintes Vierges 2018
Domaine Santa Duc Chateauneuf-du-Pape Les Saintes Vierges 2018
Proprietary Blends | France
WA97, JL97, WE96, JD93, WS93
New
$59.95 | 750mL
SOLD OUT
Too late, we are SOLD OUT!
With Domaine Santa Duc’s world-class Gigondas scoring 96 and the CdP 97, can this brilliant producer reach much higher? Both wines are under $60, and we bought as many as we could -- just landed from France! A few notes: we’re going to say it -- the Gigondas is one of the finest sources of value for profound wine in the Rhone. Santa Duc delivers wines that compete with the very best wines in Chateauneuf-du-Pape (and similar scores!) at a fraction of the price of many competitors. Santa Duc manages to make CdP AND Gigondas taste aristocratic -- taming the wild mountain personality of the Dentelles into something that is at once both intensely powerful, and also nuanced and complex.
We have exactly 15 cases (that in itself is miraculous!), and they will bowl you over with their purity and intensity, whether you drink them sooner or later! First come, first served!
About the Producer
Rising as a pillar of quality out of the soils of Gigondas is Domaine Santa Duc, an estate that's history stretches back to 1874. Through six generations, the caretakers of the domaine have demonstrated a respect for the land, with Santa Duc ascending to prominence as a pioneer of organic viticulture in the region under the care of its indomitable vigneron, Yves Gras. The wines cultivated by Gras typify classic Gigondas - elegant, focused, polished. In his 32 years at the helm, Gras has branched out to nearby Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Rasteau, creating wines of exceptional balance and quality. Gras seamlessly integrates fruit born from two distinct soil types into harmonious cuvees that are representative of the unique terroir of the Southern Rhone Valley. In working only with indigenous yeasts and bottling without filtration, Gras executes with a simplicity that leads to purity of expression in his wines.
