The soft, ripe 1993 Gigondas (a 75% Grenache/25% Syrah blend) is loaded with peppery, berry fruit, and exhibits none of the hollow, vegetal character possessed by so many other wines of this vintage. Medium to full-bodied, with light tannin, it is a Gigondas to drink over the next 4-5 years. This is a brilliant effort, and a testament to the exceptional winemaking skills of proprietor Yves Gras. Every year, I schedule a tasting of the most recent vintage of nearly every producer's Gigondas (approximately 40-45 producers). Since 1989, Santa Duc has ranked first in every vintage! 1993 was an especially difficult year for this appellation, as my tastings have consistently revealed hollow, hard wines which I have not reviewed because so few merit attention. The exception to these findings has been the wines of Santa Duc. Their Gigondas is noticeably riper, richer, and more concentrated, so much so that it is hard to believe the wines emerged from such a poor vintage. Robert Kacher: 2015 Vine Street NE, Washington, DC 20018; tel. (202) 832-9083, fax (202) 529-2579

The soft, ripe 1993 Gigondas (a 75% Grenache/25% Syrah blend) is loaded with peppery, berry fruit, and exhibits none of the hollow, vegetal character possessed by so many other wines of this vintage. Medium to full-bodied, with light tannin, it is a Gigondas to drink over the next 4-5 years. This is a brilliant effort, and a testament to the exceptional winemaking skills of proprietor Yves Gras.Every year, I schedule a tasting of the most recent vintage of nearly every producer's Gigondas (approximately 40-45 producers). Since 1989, Santa Duc has ranked first in every vintage! 1993 was an especially difficult year for this appellation, as my tastings have consistently revealed hollow, hard wines which I have not reviewed because so few merit attention. The exception to these findings has been the wines of Santa Duc. Their Gigondas is noticeably riper, richer, and more concentrated, so much so that it is hard to believe the wines emerged from such a poor vintage.Robert Kacher: 2015 Vine Street NE, Washington, DC 20018; tel. (202) 832-9083, fax (202) 529-2579