Domaine de la Janasse

Domaine La Janasse is in the very top league of the Chateauneuf-du-Pape estates. The estate vineyards cover some 15 different parcels in the best areas of the appellation near Vieux Télégraphe and Beaucastel, and there is a high proportion of very old vines.
The wines all show great class and distinction. Each cuvée is highly individual, from 3 styles of Cotes du Rhone through to special cuvée Chateauneufs. The Cuvée "Chaupin" comes from a special plot of Grenache planted in 1912, while the "Vieilles Vignes" comes from a selection of vines all more than 80 years in age.
Quantities are small, but the quality is truly exceptional.

Total 50 hectares, featuring 12ha of Châteauneuf, 6ha of Côtes du Rhône Villages, 15ha Côtes du Rhône and 17ha Vin de Pays.

The cellars are at Couthézon, on the northeastern edge of the Châteauneuf appellation. Vineyard holdings are fragmented, with 15 separate parcels: notably at La Crau, near Beaucastel in the north, and on the Vieux Télegraphe plateau. The lieu-dit Chaupin is planted on north-facing slopes to benefit from a relatively cooler microclimate. There are also vineyards north of Courthézon which qualify for the appellation Côtes du Rhône Villages, plus Côtes du Rhône from Coudoulet and Fontanel.

The exact composition of the soil varies from parcel to parcel. Near Vieux Télegraphe, the classic 'galets' (large round stones) predominate; near Beaucastel the soil is a clay-sand-loam. The Côtes du Rhône Villages comes from a red clay soil, with some galets.

Care starts in the vineyard, where nurturing of old vines and severe green pruning combine to limit yields to little over 20 hl/ha. For the whites, the Roussanne is fermented in barrel for 6 months (mainly new oak), the other grapes in temperature-controlled enamel-lined tanks. Malolactic is blocked to preserve acidity. The Cuvée prestige is 100% barrel-fermented, using 2/3 new oak, with 12 months ageing.

Since 1993, 80 to 90% of the red grapes are destemmed. fermentation is in a mixture of cement and stainless steel tanks. The straight Côtes du Rhône macerates 12-15 days on the skins, before 6-9 months ageing in foudres. The Côtes du Rhône Villages has 15-18 days, with manual pigeage each day. It is aged 50% in barriques, 50% in foudre. 'Les Garrigues' gets a full 18 day maceration, manual pigeage twice a day, followed by ageing in both foudres and barriques. The red Châteauneuf has a 20 day cuvaison in cement tanks, 12 months ageing in barrel and large oak cask, then 6 more months in vat before a very light filtration and bottling. 'Chaupin' macerates 21-23 days on the skins, with regular pigeage, before 18 months in large and small oak casks. The Vieilles Vignes has 23-25 days of cuvaison, oak-ageing featuring a limited percentage of new oak, and further time in vat before a gentle clarification and bottling.

Domaine de la Janasse sold all its grapes to the cooperatives up until 1973. Since then, first Aimé Sabon, and now his son Christophe, have worked tirelessly to build the domaine's reputation as a first-class source of estate-bottled Châteauneuf. They have more than succeeded, because this address is now acknowledged as one of the very best in the whole appellation, regularly bracketed with the likes of Rayas, Beaucastel and Vieux-Télegraphe at the top of the Châteauneuf 'superleague'.

The Sabons are lucky enough to possess 15 different parcels of fine vineyards, on various terroirs. These generate wonderful complexity in the final blend, as well as offering the excitement of limited individual bottlings. The average age of the vines is extraordinary, with many over 60, or even 80 years in age. Severe green pruning means yields of little over 20 hl/ha. In the cellars, long cuvaison and manual pigeage extract the maximum potential from these fine grapes, followed by an intelligent ageing regime that uses new oak sparingly. There is no winemaking wizardry here, just common sense and attention to detail.

The whites benefit from a significant proportion of Roussanne, barrel-fermented as at Beaucastel. The results are rich and round, but always well-balanced by crisp acidity. They can be drunk young, or cellared for many years. In addition, Domaine de la Janasse offer a range of lesser appellation wines that represent some of the best bargains in the whole Rhône valley. The Vin de Pays is an exciting blend of Merlot and Syrah, with some oak ageing to add class. All four Côtes du Rhône reds are full, spicy and complex, and put many more famous wines to shame. Robert Parker calls them "terrific values", adding: "Any Southern Rhône enthusiast who does not go out of his way to purchase these gems by the case is...a fool."