2013 Domaine Gauby Muntada Côtes du Roussillon Villages 750 ml

Somewhere between Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the South of France and Priorat in northern Spain, thoughts inevitably turn to the bright, coppery Bandol Rosés and hardy fortified wines of Rivesaltes. It is in this wild and unspoiled region of France that one could almost forget about fine red wine.

But for three decades, Gérard Gauby has been the man making the world remember.

Ever since taking control of his family’s estate in the 1980s, Gauby has been producing some of the most remarkable wines in the world around the bucolic Roussillon town of Calce. Drawing from ancestral vines planted almost 1,000 feet above sea level of altitude less than 20 miles from the Mediterranean, Gauby’s reds have been the standard-bearer of Roussillon density and grace.  

The factors that come together in the Roussillon — baking sun, maritime influence, sedimentary and schist soils — are what made Robert Parker laud the region as producing “some of the world’s most exciting and distinctive” wines. Brooding and thought-provoking, Parker says the wines are “capable of satisfying your hedonism and love of mystery alike.” An earlier vintage of Gauby’s “Muntada” inspired Parker to gush that the wine’s “savage beauty and luminosity brought to mind La Tâche.”

Gérard Gauby, now increasingly assisted by his son Lionel, pursues his winemaking with remarkable discipline, both in the vineyards and the chais. They adhere to a rigorous biodynamic regimen. The Gaubys hand-sort, use only indigenous yeasts, and eschew stainless steel, relying only on concrete and wood foudres and fermenters. Gauby’s choices in the cellar show elegance, refinement, and minerality as completely compatible with Roussillon ripeness and density.

The “Muntada” is sourced from Gauby’s oldest vineyards, consisting mainly of 120-year-old Carignan and 60- to 80-year-old Grenache. The wine undergoes a 2- to 4-week maceration, and spends 30 months in barriques and foudres. The result is a dense purple color, bursting with aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry, licorice, and tar. Viscous and creamy on the palate, an iron-like minerality gives a resonating freshness amidst the abundant fruit. Finishing long and showing great structure, this wine will be excellent over the next 20 years.

This 2013 earned 94-97 points from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, which called it “a brilliant wine from Gauby that will have two decades of longevity.” Gerard Gauby is the man who has been keeping Roussillon on the map for more than three decades. With only 200 bottles of the 2013 “Muntada” to our name, this offer won’t last the day. Elsewhere: $125. Today, just $89. Shipping included on 2.