Domaine Saint-Damien Plan De Dieu Cotes Du Rhone Vieilles Vignes 2022

94 POINTS: Wine Direct Tasting Team
91 POINTS: Robert Parker's - The Wine Advocate 

"One of the bargains in the Saint Damien cellar is the 2022 Cotes du Rhone Villages Plan de Dieu Vieilles Vignes, which was being bottled on the day I visited the Domaine. A blend of Grenache and Mourvèdre matured in concrete, it offers up scents of sunbaked stones and black cherries. Full-bodied and velvety textured, it's perhaps a touch warm, with hints of peppery spice and licorice on the finish."
- Robert Parker's - The Wine Advocate 

“The old vine bottling of Plan de Dieu from Joel and Romain Saurel. The grapes are co-fermented in cement vats and aged in the same for eight months prior to bottling. To my palate, this is a baby Gigondas and is a superb value!”
- John Gilman, View from the Cellar

“Proprietor Joel Saurel, backed up by the inimitable Philippe Cambie as his consultant, has transformed this estate into one of the greatest in Gigondas, rivalling the two top producers, Yves Gras’ Santa Duc and Louis Barruol’s Saint Cosme.”
- Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate

Made from a blend of 80% Grenache (planted 1948) and 20% Mourvèdre (planted 2010). This is delightful concentration and multilayered Cotes du Rhone thanks to depth of fruit from the old vine material. What a winner!  Fragrant, medium weight, juicy it really is so darn delicious.

This wine is sourced from the lower terraced parcels of the Plan de Dieu lieu-dit, in the commune of Violès. The Grenache vines are over 60 years old and the Mourvèdre 30 years. The wine is fermented for 30 days in concrete vats before 8 months of aging (again in concrete). The wine is bottled without fining or filtration.

ABV 14%