1990 Domaine Santa Duc Gigondas Prestige des Hautes Garrigues

For the third straight year in my blind tastings of the wines of Gigondas, Santa Duc's wines have ranked in one of the top three spots. A strong argument can be made that this estate is making the best wine of the appellation. Because of the superlative quality of the raw materials in 1990, two cuvees have been made. Santa Duc's 1990 Prestige des Hautes Garrigues was aged in small oak casks, but the oak enhances rather than dominates the extraordinary richness and opulence of this wine. The huge nose of cassis, vanillin, smoke, flowers, and minerals is followed by a deeply concentrated, full-bodied wine with soft tannins, considerable complexity, and a voluptuous, explosively long, rich finish. It can be drunk now, but the advantage of this style of wine is that it can also be cellared for 10 or more years. Importer: Robert Kacher Selections, Washington, DC.