Domaine Saint-Damien - Gigondas Les Souteyrades 2022 (750ml)

Jeb Dunnuck – 94 points
“Always the most exotic of the trio from Saint-Damien, the 2022 Gigondas Les Souteyrades reveals a vivid ruby hue as well as floral, peppery nuances all wrapped around a core of sweet red fruits. It's medium to full-bodied on the palate, with ultra-fine tannins, just about flawless balance, and a great finish. It's another beautiful wine that I'd be thrilled to own.”

Vinous – 93+ points
“The 2022 Gigondas Les Souteyrades Vieilles Vignes is one of the sleepers of the vintage. Spicy and black fruited, its perfume is complemented by dried thyme, orange rind and garrigue. Powerful and firmly structured, the 2022 carries considerable depth and is neatly balanced by fresh acidity. Hold it for at least five more years, if you can resist the temptation.”

Decanter (Matt Walls) – 92 points
“There’s a good sense of freshness to this wine, with lovely raspberry and liquorice notes from the nose to the palate, ending on bright acidity and tensile tannins. The alcohol feels well balanced, there's no excess oak or tannin. Harmonious.”

John Gilman – 93 points
“The single vineyard Les Souteyrades bottling of Gigondas from Joël Saurel is made from a blend of solely Grenache and Mourvèdre, but with these also very old vines. The ‘younger vines’ of Mourvèdre were planted in 1977 and the Grenache all the way back in 1948. The wine is fermented in cement vats and raised in older foudres. The 2022 version tips the scales at fifteen percent octane and offers up a deep and nicely black fruity bouquet of black raspberries, fruitcake, spit-roasted venison, pepper, stony soil tones, woodsmoke, cedar and garrigue. On the palate the wine is deep, ripe, complex and full-bodied, with a vibrant personality, superb depth of fruit, fine soil inflection and grip, ripe tannins and a long, complex and impeccably balanced finish. Though this is fifteen percent alcohol in 2022, it shows no signs of heat on the palate. Once this is ready to drink, it is going to be outstanding!”

Wine Advocate – 93 points
“The 2022 Gigondas Les Souteyrades is showing well today, revealing a complex, deep bouquet of dark wild berries, licorice, spices, cedar and garrigue. Full-bodied, rich and concentrated, it's dense with a ripe, assertive tannic frame built around a generous, fleshy core of fruit. Finishing with a dark wild berry-inflected finish and a long, cedary aftertaste, this powerful but well-executed Gigondas will offer a broad drinking window.” (YC)