CHÂTEAUNEUF DU PAPE

2022 La Crau Ouest Domaine Santa Duc

EN PRIMEUR

2022 CHÂTEAUNEUF DU PAPE La Crau Ouest Domaine Santa Duc - from a tiny north facing plot to the east of Chateaneuf-du-Pape, all fine sandy soils 100% Grenache, super bright & expressive, perfumed wild strawberry & raspberrry notes, very very elegant and pure, this is very fine indeed, the sandy soils bring freshness, poised and extremely well bred, another beauty.L&S (Oct 2024)

75cl bottles (case of 6)

* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.

The complex 2022 Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau Ouest is flat out stunning. Intense violet, rose petal, raspberry jam, wild strawberry and spice box notes mingle with leafy elements. Seamlessly structured with sleek tannins, the full-bodied 2022 is braced by lively acids and races toward an utterly elegant, long and focused finish. Bravo! Drinking range: 2026 - 2044 Rating: 95 Nicholas Greinacher - Vinousmedia.com (Nov 2024)

One of Benjamin Gras's most intriguing, refined and elegant wines, the 2022 Chateauneuf du Pape La Crau Ouest offers aromas of dark cherries, rose, peony, fresh thyme and garrigue. Though less dense than its counterparts, it is medium to full-bodied, with a tense and ethereal texture structured by velvety tannins and an ethereal, vertical energy that brings freshness and finesse to the finish. Crafted entirely from old vines of Grenache Noir in the lieu-dit of La Crau, this is a candidate for the wine of the vintage. Rating: 96 Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, www.RobertParker.com (Oct 2024)

The name of Domaine Santa Duc has been at the pinnacle of wine in Gigondas since the mid 80’s when, under the firm guidance of the irrepressible and charismatic Yves Gras, they gained international recognition and high scores from wine critics. They have, for some time, been a reference point for quality and style, from one of the most consistently brilliant Crus in the Southern Rhone.

The future of the domaine is now in the very capable hands of Yves' son Benjamin, who becomes the 6th generation of the family to head up the estate. To borrow from Matt Walls ‘Yves Gras and his son Benjamin are very different characters. Yves has the air of a retired East End enforcer, but Benjamin is bookish and jovial’. It would appear from our recent tastings that the estate is in safe hands. Having a respectable CV that boasts stages at Domaine de la Romanée Conti and Vega Sicilia, and visits to nearly every wine producing country in the world, he brings fresh views and ideas, whilst respecting the traditions of his father's work and the past.

The entire 30-hectare estate is now biodynamically farmed and certified, with an emphasis on total respect for nature in the vineyard. They comprise a patchwork of prime vineyard sites in Gigondas totalling 13 hectares, including two brilliant lieux-dits, Les Hautes Garrigues & Clos Derriere Vieille, that bring out the very best expression of Grenache, Syrah & Mourvedre. There is also 6 hectares of prized parcels in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, that have gained high praise in a short space of time. The balance is spread across Vacqueyras and Cotes du Rhone. Nearly all the vines are trained goblet, with a program of Massal selection ongoing to ensure healthy vines from older rootstocks.

The wine making philosophy, like so many now, is as little intervention as possible. Stainless steel fermentation, with a proportion of stems and a short maceration followed by ageing in a mixture of large foudres and terracotta amphorae. The wines are fresh, elegant, pure, dark fruited and long lived although approachable in their youth too. Be in no doubt, these are some of the best wines being made in the southern Rhone.

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STORAGE OPTIONS:

Wines bought en primeur are scheduled to arrive in the UK over the course of the next eighteen months. If you do not wish to take home delivery, you may wish to consider where you would like the wines shipped on arrival in the UK. Lea & Sandeman offers duty paid and in bond storage through a dedicated storage company called Elephant Storage. For more details on the terms and fees associated with storage please go to our Storage Homepage or contact our primeurs team for more information.

While helpful, we do not require a firm commitment on delivery destination to process your primeur order at this stage. Our team will be in contact with you when your wines arrive in the UK to confirm the necessary delivery details.

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RHÔNE PRIMEUR FAQ

OFFER: All wines are offered subject to availability and final confirmation.

PRICING: All prices are quoted IN BOND ex-VAT, by the case size stated. Please double check that the desired case size does match what is being offered as wines are variously listed in threes, sixes, dozens, halves and larger formats.

DELIVERY - TIMING: This is a primeur offer so the wines are not yet physically available for delivery. They will be shipped to the UK over the next eighteen months. Generally wines are shipped to your nominated location once the whole order has landed in our London City Bond account. If you require wines to be delivered by a certain date, please advise us at the time of ordering.

DELIVERY - FEES: In bond delivery to an Elephant Storage account (for more information see 'Storage Options' opposite) is free of charge. Transfer of wines to any third party bond (i.e. not Elephant Storage) will incur an administration charge of £16.50 + VAT for all orders under £500. If you require wines duty paid, please indicate this in your Wishlist order form. A duty & VAT invoice will be raised once all the wines on your order are available for shipment. Once the relevant duty & VAT has been settled, we will ship the wines to your nominated address as per our normal duty paid Delivery Terms.

PAYMENT: All orders will be invoiced for immediate payment by cheque, cash, debit card or cleared funds to our account. We regret that we cannot accept credit cards for primeur orders. We reserve the right to apply a dunning charge of 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.