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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.8 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 75 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by markcic on 4/8/2024 & rated 93 points: Opened for an hour at lunch. Dark red fruit on the nose. The palate was red berries, cherry, a touch of sandalwood and hints of spice leading to a moderately long finish. A really nice wine. (1446 views) | | | Tasted by CWilliam on 3/12/2024: Continues to drink well. Paired nicely with BBQ pork. (1372 views) | | | Tasted by jaumealaska on 11/28/2023: I don’t score this as my experience varied a lot from my last bottle. Drinking 5 years after its delivery the day before our big 7.1 earthquake I thought the wine too plush. Lots of fruit but the acid structure was lacking. It could have been the food or the fact it followed some bright champagne. Will revisit before the next earthquake. (1994 views) | | | Tasted by quaffnov on 9/25/2023 & rated 92 points: Three hour decant, this is a high end expression Gigondas, with evertyhing you look for including dark cherries, garrigue, forest floor and excellent spiciness. This benefits from decant time, with the bright acidity coming into line a little more with the air working on it. Medium build with a very nice mouthfeel and a long finish, well worth the price paid for it. (2271 views) | | | Tasted by Oechsle on 7/28/2023 & rated 93 points: see prior note:
Floral, Lingonberry, cinnamon, garrique and lift. Some heat on nose but, with floral interplay it’s not overbearing. Palate entry is dense with initial creaminess giving way to extract. Flavor profile crushed gravel, walnut shells, brown olives and black raspberry. Spicy finish. 15% Mourvedre really Pops. Tannins are not abrasive, Dry, hints of minerality on finish. Good concentration and length, flavor profile leans more tertiary than fruity. 15% alc. seems understated. Thought this would have scored higher after 7 years but, palate fruit isn’t there for me and don’t think its closed. Bright red fruits from release vanished. Day 2 after vacuum and chill, aromatics have died down and tannins are more persistent but, a little bit more fruit showing on palate. Suggest a long decant before you pour. If you have these and not yet tried no reason to wait further. Unless you prefer baseball glove and grandpa’s tobaccy he used to roll cigarettes with in your juice. Purchased upon release and stored accordingly …Na zdrowie (2480 views) | | | Tasted by Rossodio on 6/9/2023 & rated 92 points: PB Wino is on the money with their note below. Started to open up more after 2 hours but still quite tight. Wpild likely be better dau 2 or with 4 or 5 hours in decanter right now. I actually had a bottle of this that I didn't log in CT Thanksgiving 2019. It was more open and plush. This wine is shutting down right now and I believe it will open more in probably 3-5 years with a 5-10 year prime drinking window before it gets to be more stewed fruit flavored as so many southern rhone wines do. If you have any, it is certainly drinkable and very good now, but tannins are sharp and this truly would do 3 or 4 points better with a few more years of rest.
I'll also add that there is already a surprising amount of sediment in the bottle. Mostly stuck to the glass in the bottom of the bottle as i had laid it in the cellar. Drink or decant carefully whether now or in the future.
4 bottles and 2 magnums left. Next in 2027+.
I had half of the bottle. Drank over 1 night with friends.
Vvv (2549 views) | | | Tasted by CWilliam on 5/29/2023: No notes - drank beautifully. Paired very well with smoked ribs (baby back). 93+
Got better with air. (2627 views) | | | Tasted by PB wino on 1/25/2023 & rated 93 points: Should have decanted. Bright cherry and black berries.
Warm alcohol, gripping tannins. Long life ahead.
Finish the bottle tomorrow. Will update. (3119 views) | | | Tasted by lvjohn on 11/10/2022: Marty Cool's birthday gift (2921 views) | | | Tasted by dlcass on 10/28/2022 & rated 95 points: Stunning and beautiful nose of asian spices, violets, raspberry; elevation on the palate, lifting, mouth coating. Sharp tannins currently- which is why the suggested drinking window is years to come. But an enjoyable wine. (2804 views) | | | Tasted by Momus99 on 8/7/2022: Not giving this one a numerical rating since I was not wild about it but this note is a couple of weeks after drinking it. Just remember it being rather understated. (3365 views) | | | Tasted by earlemf on 7/31/2022 & rated 94 points: Wonderful. Lesxd tanic. (3208 views) | | | Tasted by jpkc on 3/24/2022 & rated 91 points: Did not decant, PnP at dinner party, dark fruits, soft tannins and acidity, no sediment noticed, will decant a few hours next time. (3730 views) | | | Tasted by BernieMSY on 1/19/2022 & rated 94 points: 90 minute decant.
Dark ruby color; quite beautiful. Blackberry nose.
Intense and richly concentrated. Tons of dark fruit, roast meat, leather. It’s an umami bomb. Nice lingering finish, with moderate tannins. This one is still a baby and it has the potential to evolve into something special in 8-10 years. (3581 views) | | | Tasted by Philbeagles on 1/8/2022 & rated 93 points: This is a joy to drink. 2 hour decant. Roast beef and and the trimmings pairs very well. Looking forward to trying the 17's I have in the cellar. Nice balance with fruit and tannins. (although a lot of tannins have droppped out, mucho sediment.) Highly recommended. (3241 views) | | | Tasted by Pedroel on 1/3/2022 & rated 94 points: Restrained nose, but flavors explode in a wondrous melange of berry, garrigue, earthy minerals and a touch of sweetness. The finish keeps the saliva flowing for over a minute. Fine tannins and optimal acidity give it structure and depth. Excellent! (3429 views) | | | Tasted by isbjoern on 12/27/2021 & rated 90 points: A fruit forward wine featuring sweet black and blue fruit/berry flavors, black olives, a light herbal touch and an appealing hint of bitterness, silky tannins, very good length. Some unpleasant heat on the finish. A bit more restrained and somewhat shut down compared to the last bottle 2 years ago. - 90 points (3295 views) | | | Tasted by Momus99 on 12/22/2021: Reserving judgment on this wine for now as I didn’t get all the wonderful sensations tjat other recent commenters did. Will see how it is after a night under vacuum. (2855 views) | | | Tasted by Philbeagles on 12/20/2021 & rated 92 points: This wine is getting better with each passing day. 2 hour decant. Paired with Korean grilled short ribs. Fantatsic QPR. Highly recommended. (2694 views) | | | Tasted by df1962 on 8/28/2021 & rated 93 points: PnD let air for 2hrs.
Clear. Medium ruby.
Clean. Medium intensity with aromas of black raspberry licorice prune strawberry green peppercorn and garrigue.
Dry. Medium(+) acidity. Medium(+) alcohol. Medium(+) tannins. Medium(+) body. Medium(+) intensity with flavours of black raspberry cherry black tea and garrigue.
Medium(+) finish. Outstanding suitable for further ageing. Lingering grippy cherry skin and black tea finish. Big racy and delicious. Huge value. (3259 views) | | | Tasted by Bob in NC on 7/13/2021 & rated 91 points: Was drinking great after an hour. Can see this going many more years. Went excellent with our smoked ribs and BBQ sauce. (3307 views) | | | Tasted by Ewhite30 on 6/13/2021: Five hours open on the counter. Deep and rich - asphalt, coffee and dark berry fruit on the nose. Brambly dark fruits lead on the palate. There’s a softer floral note, also framboise and caramel with a subtle white pepper spice through the finish. Some tannins linger but overall resolved and drinking well with air. (3009 views) | | | Tasted by BernieMSY on 5/31/2021 & rated 94 points: Wonderful (3307 views) | | | Tasted by CWilliam on 4/8/2021 & rated 93 points: 1st of 6 bottles. PNP on night one and had 2 glasses left on night 2 - better on night 2. Medium red color. Meat, garrigue, black raspberry (red raspberry dominant on night 2), tobacco, glycerin and sweet cherry. On palate, full body, medium+ acidity, medium tannins and long finish. Agree with prior taster this needs a few years - but fine to drink now if you decant for a few hours. Paired surprisingly well with steak. 93+/- night 1, 94+/- night two and should be better in 2-3 years. Was more complex / less harsh on night 2. (3647 views) | | | Tasted by samatoid on 4/8/2021 & rated 95 points: This wine is great, but it needs time. On day one the wine is flamboyant, but harsh. It is too soon to pop and pour. On day 3 we drank the remaining half bottle. The nose is oxidized, but the palate is much smoother and delicious. Almost like a Tuscan wine, but fruitier. Rich blackberry flavors carry for 30 seconds. I have a few cases, but I still hold myself back from drinking these knowing how much better they will be. It is a tough call to decide whether the Souteyrades or the La Louisiane is better in 2016. I'll have to try them side by side over 3 days to make that decision. (3263 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Domaine Saint-Damien Producer website
U.S. Importer (Addt'l Info)
St. Damien was an Early Christian saint (martyred in the year 287 A.D.), considered the patron saint of doctors. There was a chapel to his honour in the tiny hamlet of La Baumette, just outside the village of Gigondas, where Joel Saurel, the owner of the domaine, lives. The name Saint Damien for the domaine was introduced in 1979. Four generations have worked on this family estate since 1821. In 2013 Romain joined his father on the estate. The estate has been certified organic since 2012.Red Rhone Blend Read about the different grapes used to produce red and white Rhone wines
On CellarTracker, Red Rhone Blend is the term for a wine consisting of two or more of the traditional 13 Southern Rhone grape varieties. Typically it's the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre or Cinsault grapes, but can also contain the Muscardin, Counoise, Clairette, Bourboulenc, Picpoul, Roussanne, Terret Noir, Picardan or Vaccarese grapes.
A 'food' wine. Lacking pretension and intended for local consumption with local cuisine. Lacks the 'high' notes on a Bordeaux, more earthy and sharper so often a better partner to meat dishes with a sauce. Vieilles Vignes Old Vine/Vieilles Vignes (Wikipedia)France Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comRhône Guide to the wines, wineries and appellations in the Rhone Valley The Rhône Valley/Le Vins de la Vallée du Rhône (Comité Interprofession des vins AOC Côtes et vallée du Rhône)
### Wine Scholar Guild's Rhône valley vintage charts & ratings ###Southern Rhône Guide to the wines, wineries and appellations in the Southern Rhone Valley
Gigondas Gigondas: La Vinaltude
The lieux dits on weinlagen-info |
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