Le Mas de Flauzières ‘Four Danuga’, Gigondas, Rhône Valley, France 2022

Domaine Font de Courtedune is a boutique estate working alongside its more famous neighbour in the sandy soils near Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Under Caroline and Frédéric Charrier the domaine focuses on old vines, minimal intervention, and expressing the purity of Grenache-based Rhône blends.

• WINEMAKER: Caroline & Frédéric Charrier
• FARMING: Sustainable viticulture with low yields; grapes are hand-harvested and whole-bunch vinified to preserve freshness and site expression.
• VARIETY: 80% Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah.
• TERROIR: Estate vineyards in the Côtes du Rhône zone share the sandy, well-drained soils of neighbouring Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The old-vine parcels average 50 years in age.
• VINIFICATION: Grapes are partially whole-cluster fermented in concrete vats with native yeasts, with no new oak used in maturation.
• AGING: Aged in concrete for roughly nine months before bottling to retain transparency of fruit and terroir.
• TASTING NOTES: The 2022 release reveals aromatic red and black fruit—raspberry, black cherry—with floral and garrigue notes. The palate is weightless yet intense, marked by fine sandy tannins, fresh acid, and a saline, savory finish.
• FOOD PAIRINGS: Ideal with grilled red meats, ratatouille, herb-roasted chicken, or even mushroom pizza.

At Le Mas de Flauzières, Four Danuga is a family homage cuvée name rather than a geographical or technical designation.

• “Four Danuga” is an acronym of the four Benoît family members’ first names involved in the estate when the wine was first created:
  Fou (for Fouzia), R (for Robert), Da (for Daniel), and Nuga (for Nathalie & Gérôme [‘Jerôme’] Benoît) — condensed into Four Danuga.

It’s essentially their way of naming the cuvée “from the family” — a blending of names that reflects the multigenerational collaboration at the domaine.

So: “Four Danuga” = “Les Quatre de la Famille Benoît.”
It’s a personal signature cuvée, not a vineyard name or regional reference