What looks to be a significant step up over the 2012 and 2013 (which is a head scratcher given that both vintages are superior to 2014), the inky-colored 2014 Gigondas Prestige des Hautes Garrigues has terrific notes of black raspberry, currants, sweet spice and Provencal herbs (rosemary, thyme). This gives way to a full-bodied Gigondas that has a stacked mid-palate, ripe tannin and a big finish. It should drink well with short term cellaring and evolve for a decade after that.

While still an outstanding wine, the 2013 Gigondas Prestige des Hautes Garrigues is disappointing. Fresh, elegant and silky, with pretty notes of wet stone, licorice, spring flowers and sweet darker fruits, it’s medium plus-bodied, lightly textured and has solid length on the finish. Nevertheless, it lacks the depth, richness and texture of past vintages and for what used to always be one of the wines of the vintage, it now fails to standout. Give it a handful of years in the cellar and enjoy bottles through 2025.

Made from 80% Grenache, 15% Mourvedre and the balance Syrah (there's normally no Syrah, but this was a difficult year for Mourvedre), aged all in foudre, the 2012 Gigondas Prestige des Hautes Garrigues is the darkest colored of the 2012s and offers a solid bouquet of smoked black cherries, new leather, bouquet garni and scorched earth. Medium to full-bodied, with beautiful purity of fruit and fine tannin, it has good, not great concentration and elevated acidity that comes through on the finish. I'd love more depth here, and despite being an outstanding wine, this is a disappointing example of this cuvee.