2014 Domaine Saint Damien Gigondas La Louisiane 750 ml

Peaks and Values in Gigondas

The white crags of the Dentelles de Montmirail soar 2,400 feet into the sky above Joël Saurel’s vineyard in Gigondas. Over millennia, the limestone peaks have eroded into the substrata, forming the rocky, well-draining soil that has yielded so many high-scoring, Saint-Damien sleepers.

The parcel known as La Louisiane is planted with 75-year-old, head-trained Grenache. Steep, terraced slopes provide maximum exposure to the veteran vines — and plenty of hard labor for Saurel. The white-mustached proprietor has the sunbaked look and wry demeanor of someone who has spent a lifetime in between rows of Grenache and Mourvèdre. “The vines of La Louisiane are older than I am,” Saurel told us, “and they are producing better fruit that ever. So who am I to complain about a hill?!”

In the cellar, Saurel works together with Philippe Cambie, the Rhone’s greatest enologist and Robert Parker’s 2010 Winemaker of the Year. The team is a force to be reckoned with, one Parker credits with transforming “this estate into one of the greatest in Gigondas, rivaling the two top producers, Yves Gras’ Santa Duc and Louis Barruol’s Saint Cosme.” We like how The Wine Advocate pegged their wines’ appeal: “hedonistic pleasure married to classic Provencal character.”

In 2014, Saurel and Cambie produced one of the most captivating vintages of “La Louisiane” to date. Parker raved, hailing the 2014’s “forward, easy drinking feel,” “rock solid tannins” and “great finish.” Vinous didn’t hold back either, calling it “sexy” with “excellent energy” and “lingering florality.”

The 2014 “La Louisiane” is all that … and more. Brilliant ruby-red to the rim. Perfumed yet subtle aromas of black raspberry, violet, licorice and pepper. The palate is big, juicy and firm with butter soft tannins. This wine is giving pure pleasure right now and will drink this way over the next ten years.

A powerhouse team’s latest brilliant Gigondas red. Just $27.99 — the best price in the USA — for a wine that could easily sell for $50 a pop. We’re going in for two cases. We recommend you do the same.