2010 Cotes du Rhone 'Quatre Terres', Dom. Santa Duc

Description

The 2010 Cotes du Rhone Les Quatres Terres looks as strong, with a deep ruby/purple color, slightly more acidity, but nice, meaty notes intermixed with blue and black fruits. It should drink nicely for 5-6 years as well. 2011-17 (88-90) - Robert Parker Wine Advocate # 197 (Oct 2011)

The received wisdom that Yves Gras at Santa Duc makes some of the best wines that Gigondas has to offer is hard to argue against.. Never still, the ludicrously energetic Yves is an amiable, welcoming and ebullient character with a huge passion for what he does. On a recent visit I mentioned that I was going to be visiting a friend in the Ardeche after my tour of the Rhône Valley. He enthused about the beauty of the region and then, as I left his estate, furnished me with a couple of bottles “for you to share with your friend”. We did; they were wonderful! Les Hautes Garrigues was Yves’ top cuvée and is a powerhouse of a wine (80% Grenache and 20% Mourvedre) but fermentation at relatively low temperatures keeps the wine fresh despite its heady alcohol levels. The vines grow on the particularly poor soils surrounding the winery in Gigondas (he also has vines in Vacqueyras, Seguret, Roaix, Rasteau and Violes which are the ‘quatre terres’ from where the Côtes du Rhône is sourced), and the wine is bottled without filtration. Powerful, rich and concentrated, this is a wine to compete with the best the southern Rhône has to offer….which now includes his ‘Grand Grenache’! First released in 2007 this pure varietal comes from very old vines and has amazing extract and purity. This are rich, warm wines that speak of their origins. 2010 is an outstanding vintage and, as I've mentioned before, it is a good opportunity to stock up with Côtes du Rhônes; these village wines have a real quality about them this year, and near perfect balance so will cellar well and provide pleasurable drinking over several years - and given that the vintage overall is up to 40% down on last year in places stocking up with the 'lesser' cuvées makes a lot of sense.