184. Domaine Santa Duc, Gigondas Prestige des Hautes Garrigues, 1999

£??; 15%

A pity that this is being written 2½ months after drinking, but I have 2 more bottles to verify with! Deep, deep colour, from garnet-purple to a garnet rim. Intense blackberry aromas with some beautiful development of complexity. Full-bodied, and – really noticeably – full of legs. But the alcohol wasn’t intrusive. Stood up to a venison dish with rich sauce, if memory serves. Very good – definitely lived-up to expectations.