The wines of Gigondas have long lived in the shadow of their famous neighbor Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Just a few kilometers north, with similar terroir and old Grenache vines rooted in soils rich in clay, limestone, and... Read More

The wines of Gigondas have long lived in the shadow of their famous neighbor Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Just a few kilometers north, with similar terroir and old Grenache vines rooted in soils rich in clay, limestone, and alluvial rock, Gigondas is sometimes (erroneously!) dismissed as merely a less expensive facsimile of the “serious,” “noble” wines of Châteauneuf.

But insiders know better. At the foot of the imposing Mont Ventoux, Gigondas produces world-class, distinctive, age-worthy wines — and few estates prove that more convincingly than Domaine Saint-Damien. The Saurel family has been farming here since 1821, but it wasn’t until 1979 that Joël Saurel founded the domaine and set out to show that Gigondas could stand toe-to-toe with the Rhône’s best.

Today, his son Romain is in charge, and he’s quietly pushing quality to new heights. Romain tends their ancient parcels with exacting care (organically, of course). Cover crops grow between the rows to nourish the soils — not just for sustainability’s sake, but because he believes that living soils yield wines of greater freshness, poise, and balance.