Wine & Spirits - October 2021 - 89

Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Our blind panels recommended 36 wines
from Chateauneuf-du-Pape; we feature the
top selections from our editor-at-large,
Tara Q. Thomas. All wines tasted are
searchable at wineandspiritsmagazine.com.
WHITE
95 | Rotem &
Mounir Saouma
$121
2018 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Magis ^ This
is next-level Châteauneuf-du-Pape, grand
in size, ornate in detail and, yet, utterly
thirst-quenching. Achieving that unusual
combination is in part due to the site, an
organically farmed parcel in the Pierredon
lieu-dit in Béddarides, where round river
stones cover sand and clay soils over limestone
rock. The rest has to do with Mounir
Saouma's winemaking approach, in which he
presses the whole bunches hard, in a basket
press, in order to extract everything he can.
He moves the must into 500-liter casks and
leaves it to ferment spontaneously, then it
remains undisturbed for two years-no stirring,
racking, filtering or other interference.
During that time the dense, cloudy juice
transforms into a pale golden wine built like
a croissant, buttery and rich yet light as air.
It's savory, too, notes of earth and herbs firming
the peach, almond and pear flavors, setting
this up for a long life ahead. Unless, of
course, you drink it now, with lobster rolls or
crab salad. § Vintus, NY
91 | Dom. de la Janasse $160
2020 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Prestige
^ Christophe Sabon makes only a small
amount of this wine-old-vine roussanne
blended with 30 percent grenache blanc
and clairette. Aged entirely in old, neutral
demi-muids, the 2020 is big and rich, layering
notes of apricot and mango into its
oily, nutty density. The alcohol adds a spicy
warmth and draws out the wine's savory
tones. Give it time in the cellar to mellow,
and serve with something rich, like chanterelles
in browned butter. § European Cellars,
Charlotte, NC
90 | E. Guigal
$105
2019 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Château de
Nalys Grand Vin Blanc ^ From the estate that
the Guigal family purchased in July 2017, this
is a roussanne-focused blend including fruit
from the Nalys vineyard as well as from holdings
at the top of La Crau and in the adjoining
Bois Sénéchal. The higher, cooler parcels
were helpful in the hot 2019 vintage, allowing
Guigal to turn out a wine that's gentle
yet structured. There's a fair amount of oak
showing at the moment (70 percent of the
blend aged in barrels and demi-muids) but
between the peachy fruit and the green-apple
snap to the acidity, this should harmonize
with a few more years in the cellar. § Vintus, NY
90 | Dom. de la Janasse $65
2020 Châteauneuf-du-Pape ^ This is lighter
than La Janasse's Cuvée Prestige, with less
roussanne in the mix. Bright acidity powers
its satiny lemon flavors, lush and refreshing
at once. It's youthful and precise, needing
only a little chill to curb the spice of the alcohol.
§ European Cellars, Charlotte, NC
RED
96 | Rotem &
Mounir Saouma
$111
2018 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Omnia ^ Rotem
and Mounir Saouma's aim with Omnia is to
build complexity from the diversity of their
nine parcels spread out over all five of Châteauneuf's
villages. The diversity continues
in the cellar, where Mounir puts the juice
into an assortment of containers, from large
foudres to small concrete eggs. Then he
leaves the wines to do their own thing for
18 months, without interference. The result
is exceptional in how it combines clarity,
finesse and grace with structure and complexity.
You might even mistake it for a Burgundy,
given its garnet hue and the flinty
reduction at first pass. But then, with air,
the meatiness of the grenache emerges, rosescented
and raspberry-bright. The longer it's
opened, the brighter and more complex it
gets, channeling berry patches and rose gardens,
herbs and stones, a constant stream of
impressions passing like a high-speed slideshow
of Châteauneuf. § Vintus, NY
95 | E. Guigal
$105
2018 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Château de
Nalys Grand Vin Rouge ^ This is the first
vintage of Nalys that Philippe Guigal saw
through from budbreak to bottling, after
having purchased the estate in July 2017. He
blends it from all the estate's vineyards-the
sandstone-clay of Nalys; the high, sandy, alluvial
plateau of Bois Sénéchal; and the galetcovered
La Crau, which makes up 50 percent
of this blend. Fermented in oak vats, then
aged 18 months in oak (30 percent) and concrete,
it's a regal, elegant Châteauneuf, plush
in texture and alluring in its scents of wood,
berries and earth. The interplay of tart and
sweet fruit gives the wine lift and movement
and echoes the dichotomy of brisk acidity
and firm tannins. You could decant this
now, enjoying its fresh elegance with a steak
dinner, or wait another decade to see what
details time will bring. § Vintus, NY
94 | Dom. Roger Sabon $217
2019 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Le Secret des
Sabons ^ The Sabon family's 45-acre estate is
in the northeast of Châteauneuf, where the
soils are sandy and rich in limestone; the
oldest vines date to the early 1900s. They
are the focus of this cuvée, mainly grenache
with an undisclosed amount of other varieties
blended in. The details of its vinification
are also kept a secret, until its final destination,
a single demi-muid barrel. The clarity of
the 2019 suggests a light hand in the cellar: It
radiates red fruit like sun filtered through a
ruby. Underneath, fine-grained tannins gird
the juicy fruit and draw out a meaty spice, the
wine steadfast and lively at the same time.
This will age well but it's also delicious now,
the balance of bright fruit and substantial
spice suggesting a match with a paella studded
with merguez sausages. § European Cellars,
Charlotte, NC
94 | Domaine du
Vieux Télégraphe
$105
2018 Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau ^ The
Bruniers have specialized in wines from La
Crau, a lieu-dit in the northeast of the appellation,
since 1898, when Hippolyte Brunier
began building a name for his wines. The
high elevation and the limestone-rich, galetcovered
soils make for some of the appellation's
most elegant wines, their rich red fruit
balanced by brisk acidity. The 2018 channels
a bright, fresh feeling right from the start,
with lots of floral spice moderating the sweet
red-cherry flavor. There's plenty of depth
there, too, with earth notes that bring to
mind roasted game, as well as forest floor and
fresh button mushrooms. But it's the brightOc
TO b ER 2021
WINE & SPIR IT S
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Wine & Spirits - October 2021

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