Southern Rhône’s Santa Duc

‘Elegant and soulful’ – Wine Advocate

Stand up for Santa Duc, one of the finest producers in Gigondas. Their elegant and complex high-altitude, Grenache-based blends from the Southern Rhône are worldclass, and we back them as one of the best.

Yves Gras’ tireless work put Domaine Santa Duc, est. 1847, and the Gigondas appellation on the map after he took over in 1985. His son Benjamin, the sixth generation, took the helm in 2017, ‘pushing quality even higher’ with wines of ‘markedly greater finesse’, writes Josh Raynolds of Vinous.

For the first time, we’re offering their Côtes-du-Rhône Les Quatre Terres. It’s a blend from four terroirs and the 2022 is pure, red fruited and mineral with lavender, violets and garrigue on the nose, along with fine tannins. Their 2020 Gigondas Aux Lieux Dits is so complex, intensely aromatic, energetic and deep fruited, with rooibos tea-like tannins and a lush, never-ending finish. It remains one of my favourite red wines year on year and is an absolute banker. Finally, to me their Châteauneuf-du-Pape Habemus Papam has never been better. From 2020, it’s layered and impeccably balanced with red and black fruit, lots of spice, dried herbs, and elegant tannins.