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.
This is an exceptionally limited set of magnums from celebrated vignerons, Rotem and Mounir Saouma. The 2019 release contains.
1x Châteauneuf-du-Pape ‘Les Amphoraes V Pignan’ 2017 – a single site Cinsault from Pignan vinified in amphorae, and bottled without racking, fining or filtration 1x Châteauneuf-du-Pape ‘Le Petit Livre d’Anna Magdalena Bach’ 2014 – 100% Grenache from Pignan matured in a 500-litre demi-muid for five years with lees and bottled without racking, fining or filtration 1x Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc ‘Arioso’ 2016 – 100% Grenache Blanc from Pierredon, aged in 500-litre demi-muid for three years on lees with minimal racking and no fining or filtration
