2019 Domaine de la Janasse Cuvee XXL Chateauneuf-du-Pape 750 ml

In 1967, Aimé Sabon returned from military service and took over his father's 15 hectares of vines. After establishing himself as one of the most meticulous growers in the southern Rhône, Sabon built a new cellar and, in 1973, he cautiously took the plunge. Not content to sell his grapes to the highest bidder, Aimé bottled just a few thousand bottles of estate-grown Châteauneuf-du-Pape at Domaine de La Janasse.

Little by little, Sabon increased production, reinvested profits, and looked for new opportunities. But as he’d soon learn, acquiring old-vine parcels in Châteauneuf requires plenty of patience. Over the next 20 years, Domaine de La Janasse would expand to 15 hectares in Châteauneuf-du-Pape—albeit split up over 15 distinct parcels!

His patience and hard work paid off, just in time to hand off the farm to his kids. As Robert Parker’s publication put it: “In case you haven’t been following any of the Wine Advocate reports over the past decade, Domaine de La Janasse, under the leadership of siblings Christophe and Isabelle Sabon, is one of the top two or three estates in the Southern Rhône.” 

Châteauneuf-du-Pape XXL comes from four parcels of 60–100 year old vines located in the lieux-dits of La Barnouine, Chapouin, La Crau, and Les Saummades, all fields covered in galets roulés—big cobblestones that reflect the sun’s heat back up at the grape bunches at night. 

The power of this Châteauneuf-du-Pape is immense, with kaleidoscopic blackberry, damson plum, and cherry flavors. It’s the kind of wine to be drunk with the richest, most decadent roasts and chops, or perhaps with a Stilton or Gorgonzola dolcelatte. Your collector friends are going to wonder where you found it.