Rhône Rotem and Mounir Saouma -

Burgundy meets the Rhone! When Mounir Saouma and his wife Rotem Brakin (owners of highly sought-after Burgundy micro-negociant Lucien Le Moine) had an opportunity in 2009 to purchase a neglected vineyard in the Pignan area, they did not hesitate! The Clos Saouma winery is based near Orange, in Vaucluse, just north of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Today they farm a total of 21 acres across 8 vineyards in all 5 villages of the appellation (Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Bedarrides, Sorgues, Courthezon and Orange) including that cherished piece of Pignan site (neighbour of Château Rayas). In almost every respect, the Saoumas vinify their southern Rhône wines in the same manner as their Burgundy wines: they employ ‘whole-cluster’ fermentation; no punch down, no racking and subject the wines to exceptionally long cellar aging (24 to 36 month élévage) in a cold underground cellar; and minimize their use of sulfur by trapping trace Co2 left over from fermentation.