Domaine Santa Duc has announced the release of its new 2022 vintage of “Clos des Hospices” Red. In addition, its owners, the Gras family, have also revealed that the first bottles made from white grapes from its Clos in the Gigondas appellation will see the light of day in 2025 in the vintage 2023.
Born from over-grafting vines planted with Syrah and Mourvèdre in 1994, the “Clos des Hospices” White will be composed of a blend of 90% Clairette and 10% Bourboulenc.
The other vines of this Clos, planted in Grenache in 1994, have also made it possible to produce the “Clos des Hospices” Red from the 2022 vintage, a fine and delicate wine on a terroir conducive to this very pure grape variety.
Located at an altitude of 300 meters, the “Clos des Hospices” Blanc vines are cultivated on long, narrow terraces that follow the morphology of the landscape and the limestone rocks.
The Facing North-West vineyard benefits from a remarkable ecosystem surrounded by seven hectares of woods, which provide a distinct freshness and biodiversity. At its heart are the grey marl soils, which date back to the Cretaceous period and are very rich in limestone, allowing deep roots.
This unique composition also plays an essential role in the water reserve and in providing mineral salts and trace elements.
Benjamin Gras (above left) said, “In the heart of this preserved Clos, we have imagined both the terroir and the vineyard best suited to making a great white Gigondas. The choice to only consider the highest part of the “Clos des Hospices” terrace was, for us, an obvious first step.
“The second was to over-graft this entire vineyard using massal selection in order to maintain maximum quality potential while maintaining the rootstock. It is this perfect match that sparked our family’s desire to create this great white wine.”
The National Institute of Origin and Quality (Inao) has decided to extend the AOC Gigondas to include white wines from the 2022 vintage. As such, Domaine Santa Duc has dedicated part of its historic clos at Clairette and Bourboulenc, in honour of this new great white wine from the Rhône Valley.
On the highest part of the “Clos des Hospices”, Clairette can be found the largest white grape varieties in the south, which represent 90% of the white grape variety.
Thanks to the high altitude, the grapes grown here bring freshness, elegance, purity, and an expression of white flowers. The remaining 10% are planted with Bourboulenc, a lively and fresh grape variety.
The abundance of limestone in the subsoil of this upper part of Clos des Hospices helps produce fresh, mineral, and saline white wines with a chalky structure.
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