2016 Domaine de Saje Marquis Anselme Mathieu Chateauneuf du Pape Rhone Valley 750 ml

We try to play our cards close to the vest when tasting new wines, but today’s 2016 Domaine de Saje Marquis Anselme Mathieu elicited an irrepressible “WHOA” upon our first sip. To find good Châteauneuf-du-Pape for $50 is rare. But great, old-vine Châteauneuf-du-Pape from a benchmark vintage with an excellent 96-point Wine Enthusiast score to boot? Wild.

A total discovery for us, Domaine de Saje’s tiny importer had sought us out because he knows how much we love old vines, especially in historic regions like the Southern Rhône, where 100+ year-old vines can still produce grapes that go into gorgeous, small production, ultra-traditional bottlings like this 2016 Marquis Anselme Mathieu. 

Dark and brooding with deep blackberry, wild cherry, and smoked blueberry, this Châteauneuf brims with complex layers of peppery spice, dried violet, dried herbs, hot crushed stones, and wild game. Expansive and dense on the palate, with a core of concentrated fruit, the crescendoing tannins keep everything in perfect balance. As if squeezing blood from a stone, the 110-year-old vines that went into this Marquis Anselme Mathieu deliver true magic with every sip, while offering much to ponder on the long, savory finish.

With every sip, it was emotional for us to imagine the three ancient parcels this wine comes from: one acre planted in 1890 in La Font du Pape in brown limestone-clay soils; another parcel of two-thirds of an acre planted in 1906 in Tresquous on large river stones; and a final parcel of just under a half an acre, also planted in 1906 but in Cabrières, in clay soils.

Access to Belle Époque-era vines like these requires serious regional seniority, and these family-owned vineyards have been handed down from father to son since 1600. Unsurprisingly, the Mathieu family behind them is among the oldest wine-producing families in Châteauneuf. In 2015, the two brothers amicably agreed to split the estate to simplify the inheritance with André staying at Domaine Mathieu, and Jérôme Mathieu creating Domaine de Saje. 

Jérôme’s holdings are spread all over the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation in various exposures, elevations, and soils. Most vineyards are planted mostly to Grenache (as is classic for the region), but are co-planted with the other twelve varieties that are allowed in traditional Châteauneuf. Using all 13 permitted grape varieties is a rarity among modern producers in the region, with most limiting themselves to a mere five or six. 

This is key to understanding why this Saje is so special. With all these other grapes blended together, the resulting wine is ripe and fleshy, yet it also benefits from a great deal of terroir diversity and varietal character, giving the Marquis Anselme Mathieu an additional dose of complexity. The old vines can more clearly demonstrate their ancient heritage with savory tones of Kalamata olive, black licorice, and baked fruit—almost reminiscent of an Amarone-style wine. 

Marquis Anselme Mathieu is Jérôme's top cuvée, and is only made in top years like 2016, which the Wine Spectator deemed a “truly rare, new benchmark, 99-point vintage” in the Southern Rhône. Fermented with native yeast, aged in large concrete vats and then racked into old, large foudres for 14-16 months, this is as exclusive as wine gets in Châteauneuf. Especially when you consider that a mere 200 cases are made in a given year.

Châteauneuf’s ultra-traditional field blends made with ancient vine material will eventually, tragically, go extinct thanks to the Kafkaesque web of French inheritance laws. Every wine lover should try an example like the 96-point Wine Enthusiast Editors’ Choice 2016 Domaine de Saje Marquis Anselme Mathieu Châteauneuf-du-Pape at least once in their lives. 

Today, I am thrilled and honored to present you with the chance to do just that at a remarkable price. At $50 a bottle, this is a joy to experience now and a cellar-worthy treasure you’ll be thrilled to open for decades to come.