While Chateauneuf-du-Pape gets all the acclaim in the southern Rhone- wines like this one from Domaine Santa Duc will convince you that maybe we’ve all been sleeping on its neighbor Gigondas. For the Gras family this Gigondas bottling is the top of their lineup and it shows. I was nearly emotional trying this wine because it truly is something special. The blend here is 65% Grenache and a whopping 35% Mourvedre which gives this wine great concentration of flavor but without all the weight and heat we’ve come to expect from this region. Notes of dusty cocoa stewed cherry raspberry puree clay and freshly turned soil with velvety soft tannins and a finish that I am still contemplating an hour later…