2023 Saint Damien Côtes-du-Rhône Villages Vieilles Vignes Plan de Dieu

WINEMAKER: Romain Saurel
REGION: Rhône, FR
VARIETY: Grenache, Mourvèdre
VITICULTURE: Certified Organic

80 % Grenache (1948), 20 % Mourvèdre (2010). This wine is sourced from the lower terraced parcels of the Plan de Dieu lieu-dit, in the commune of Violès. The Grenache vines are over 70 years old and come from two sites, one planted on red clay and the other on galets (smooth river-worn pebbles). The younger Mourvèdre vines are planted on sandy soil. The wine is fermented for 30 days in concrete vats, then matured for 10 months in a mix of concrete tanks and large old 50 hL oak foudres. The wine is bottled without fining or filtration. Very successful in 2023 with extra freshness coming from 40% whole bunch in the ferment. Liftd aromas, very bright and pure showing very ghood energy and drive with a fresh long vibrant finish. The best rendition of this cuvee to date that we have tasted. An outstanding value and a clear cut above most Cotes du Rhone reds.

“Domaine Saint-Damien has been producing some of the region’s most elegant wines for years, but for some reason they rarely get the attention they deserve. Pricing here is also admirably fair, which makes this an address to be reckoned with for savvy Rhône wine lovers. The Saurel family, which has been farming here since 1821, now owns just over 12 hectares of vines in Gigondas, most of them quite old and cropped low, and the wines are aged in large, traditional concrete vats and old foudres and usually bottled on the young side “to preserve freshness,” as Romain Saurel said. These wines are now consistently delivering some of the southern Rhône’s greatest values in high-end wine.” — Josh Raynolds, Vinous, February 2020