St. Damien was an early Christian saint martyred in the year 287 A.D.. Later he was considered the patron saint of doctors. There was a chapel dedicated to his honor in the tiny hamlet of La Baumette, just outside the village of Gigondas, where Joel Saurel lives. M. Saurel's predecessors took the name Saint Damien for the domaine. Domaine St. Damien's cuvées of Gigondas have become the reference for classic full-bodied yet fine Gigondas, with consistent and high scores for every vintage. Almost as popular as their high-scoring Gigondas cuvées, are the Côtes-du-Rhône bottlings, considered for their intense concentration and tremendous value. Harvests are later and yields are low. Joel's son, Romain is becoming more and more involved in the winemaking.
-Importer notes (Weygandt)
Céline Champalou’s Vouvray is always a joy to drink. The wine seems so pure, as if it bubbled up out of the limestone into a cool, limpid pool tended by nymphs and satyrs who pour it into the mouths of weary souls. That’s what I feel, anyway, when I grab a bottle from the fridge.
—Dustin Soiseth (KLWM)