Gigondas Aux Lieux-Dits Magnum

The Gigondas Aux Lieux-Dits is a blend of eight different parcels, all situated on the Gigondas plateau at an altitude of 120 to 150 meters. Soil types vary, from sandy-rich red clay and marl in Les Routes, Les Rocassières and Les Hautes Garrigues to blue Pliocene marl from the end of the Tertiary period at Plane and Goujard, for example. The blend of 40-year-old vines consists of 80% Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre, 5% Cinsault and 5% Syrah, which is the last Santa-Duc Syrah parcel in Gigondas, as Gras has re-grafted over many particularly with Counoise.

Biodynamically certified viticulture and meticulous extraction employing 75% whole clusters, before maturation in seasoned foudre and amphora, result in a complex Southern Rhone red without the heat that can mar so many wines of the region. It's beautifully complex, with beguiling aromatics of dark berries, rose water and gentle spices. Balance and underlying freshness, such a signature of the Santa Duc wines and Benjamin Gras.

So good, we had to swoop for Magnums.