I recently went to the cellar and pulled out my final bottle from the 1999 Gigondas vintage. Domaine Santa Duc is one of the top producers from this appellation, and the 1999 Santa Duc Gigondas had been considered a very good vintage.
I was a bit skeptical of how this wine might have aged, closing on 10 years, and the initial taste upon opening had me worried. However, it just took a little time for everything to settle down and open up, and I was left with a wonderfully nuanced example of what this appellation can deliver. The wine was still offering up a great deal of "garrigue" - the earthiness that can typify southern Rhone wines. Even so, I continued to feel that this wine was just barely hanging on before fading, and was glad I hadn't left it any longer.
I left a little of the wine overnight, and was stunned on the second night when it had not completely burnt out. Instead, it was almost better, having put on a little more weight and more nuanced flavors. Those last couple of glasses were really phenomenal, with a great blend of fruits, spices, and earthiness that typically are for a great aged Chateauneuf. I was really stunned, and having a couple of bottles of more recent Santa Duc Gigondas vintages, I look forward to seeing what they can deliver.
No comments:
Post a Comment