Rotem and Mounir Saouma

Burgundy meets the Rhone.  An utter respect for tradition, and in some ways a total break.  We’ve watched as Mounir and Rotem Saouma, of Burgundy producer Lucien Le Moine, slowly developed their estate and wines in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and the results today are too extraordinary and distinct to ignore.

Let’s start at the beginning: 5 acres in Pignan. A sale was being conducted through the French state that presented the opportunity to buy a somewhat neglected parcel adjoining some oustanding plots (notably Rayas’ Bois de Rayas and the Pignan lieu dit).  The Saoumas have long loved the area and its wines, have many friends, and saw they could potentially acquire land in a way that would not be possible in Burgundy.

The sheer vitality of these vines today is  extraordinary.  We know and love Mounir Saouma because of the way he transmits both unknown and acknowledged great crus of  Burgundy through his elevage into masterpieces, but it turns out he may be an even more talented vineyard manager.  Mounir’s philosophy is in theory straightforward. He has worked to improve drainage in his vineyards, works with organic manures, and doesn’t mind the low yields he is getting in his plots.  As is the case with most things in life, simplicity appears only after deliberation and experience.

From this plot Mounir has been able to acquire additional vineyards, and today farms a total of 21 acres across 8 vineyards in all 5 villages of the appellation (Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Bedarrides, Sorgues, Courthezon and Orange).  The kaleidiscope of the terroirs he works with is reflected in the cellar, as well, where a combination of barrels, foudres, cement, and eggs are used, all except the last of which can be considered “traditional” within the diversity of Chateauneuf’s viticultural history.  The fruit is pressed firmly with small presses dating from the late 1970s, left in tank to macerate at relatively cool temperatures for 8 days, and then transferred to the various vessels.  The wines are never punched down, never racked, and never sulfured until a light addition a month before bottling. They age for between 24-36 months, including the white, which as you might expect has an outsized focus here.

The wines are stunning: precise, intense, complex, expressive visions of Chateauneuf.  They somehow speak to the past, but also to the present (and we would guess, the future), all in their own voice.