Domaine Santa Duc, Gigondas, Aux Lieu-Dits

€34.99

Broad, layered, lush and densely packed with dark fruit, spice and herbs, this is a superb wine from one of the Rhone valley's most exciting regions. Made by a Domaine that is equally exciting, they make this wine from grapes grown in eight single vineyards that are classified as Lieux-Dit, the Rhone's version of 1er or Grand Cru quality.

It is a wine that has beautiful and attractive dark fruit and herbal flavours in its youth and as it ages and matures, slowly, the tertiary notes of tobacco, spice and leather develop. It is a champion wine of the appellation and the wider Rhone region.

The low intervention philosophy in the winery result in a fascinating process with long gentle pump-overs, fermentation in stainless steel tanks and 14 months of aging in both amphorae and gigantic Stockinger oak barrels, followed by gravity-led stabilisation. All of this gives the wine its purity and clarity while preserving its stunning flavours and texture.

The vineyard areas are really interesting and ever-so slightly complicated, with each giving a different nuance to the wine: sand rich vineyards set in red clay and coarse gravel form four Lieu-Dits: 'Les Hautes Garrigues', 'Les Carbonnières', 'Les Rocassières' and 'Les Routes'. Sandy soil rich in red clay, gravel and marl from the 'Trignon' Lieu-Dit at Santa Duc's own property. Soils rich in fine matter, with grey pebbles, clay and sand at 'Les Pailleroudas' Lieu-Dit. Blue Pliocene marl from the end of the Tertiary period at the 'Goujard' Lieu-Dit, with grey marl from the Cretaceous period, which happens to be rich in limestone, at 'Le Clos Derrière Vieille'.

Simple, isn't it?!

Of course it isn't, but there is a sense that this is completely normal and that if you or anyone else wanted to be taken seriously in the Rhone, or in France we would venture, this is the sort of detail that you would be expected to know and understand for the best results to be achieved from your vines. And these vines are not straight forward either with an average age of 40 years. The age and experiences in the vineyards that they have managed since the 19th-Century that form this know-how and, in fairness, they have accumulated their knowledge with such evolutionary pace that their quality is not only unsurprising, but also well-set for the future.

Region: Rhone Valley

Country: France

Grape(s): Syrah, Mourvedre, Grenache, Cinsault

Style: Smooth, Organic, Full, Elegant, Complex, Broad, Biodynamic

Best food matches: Poultry, Lamb, Grills, Cheeses, Charcuterie, Casseroles, Beef

Alcohol: 14.5%

Why buy from us?

When you buy wine from The Allotment Wine Co. you're helping a small Irish company that in turn supports small, sustainable wine producers who grow the grapes and make amazing wines. We only work with partners who share a deep respect and connection with the land and its traditions, witnessed in a firm commitment to quality and sustainability. All of which makes for better wines.

Delivery & Returns

You'll get free delivery when you buy 12 x 75cl bottles of wine online from The Allotment, saving you €7.99.

We charge €7.99 per delivery for quantities less than that.

Our hours for processing orders are between 9am - 6pm Monday to Friday.

We pack your online wine order along the following timelines:

Wine orders for delivery in Dublin, received before 12pm on weekdays are prepared so that delivery should be expected the next working day.

Wine orders for nationwide delivery, received by 12pm on weekdays are prepared so that delivery should be expected two working days later.

Customer reviews

★★★★★
Great choice and excellent service. Received my delivery the next day.
Paul H.
★★★★★
Amazing service from the get go!
I emailed Chris looking for wine recommendations for a birthday gift. Got a really speedy, helpful reply and not only that but he hand delivered it on time to the birthday girl wishing her a happy birthday. Absolutely bowled over by the service. Cannot recommend highly enough.
Michelle McM.
★★★★★
Could not recommend The Allotment enough. The selection is fantastic and each wine that I've drank from them has been utterly phenomenal. Delivery was no hassle and I had the wine at my door in 2 days. Couldn't have asked for a better experience.
Luke B.
★★★★★
Good range of interesting wines. Good personal attention to their orders. Very customer focused. I would be happy to recommend this company to any prospective customer.
Jim D.
★★★★★
A great experience ordering from The Allotment Wine Company. A wide variety of wines to try something new and at good prices with super quick delivery! Really convenient too as opposed to trying to find parking!
N. Dowling
★★★★★
Delicious and interesting range of wines delivered promptly to my door. Not far off that lovely feeling of coming back laden from a good wine store but without any of the traffic or the worry of breaking the wine en route (very impressive travel wrap).
M. Dorman
★★★★★
Chris fields a fine range of excellent, keenly-priced wines. Orders are safely packaged and dispatched efficiently and promptly. Strongly recommended.
David M.
★★★★★
Great selection of wines, hassle free ordering, payment and delivery. Highly recommended.
Patrick H.
Hi, I'm Chris Gifford.

And you're very welcome to The Allotment Wine Co.

When you wine from me, you're supporting a small Irish business which in turn supports small, sustainable wine producers, as well as other small, dedicated Irish wine importers.

When selecting wines, I look for partners who share a deep respect and connection with the land and its traditions, witnessed in a firm commitment to quality and sustainability. All of which makes for better wines.