Clos Saint Jean Sanctus Sanctorum (1.5 Liter Magnum) 2010
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
My favorite wine in the world may be Clos Saint-Jean’s 100% Grenache Chateauneuf du Pape Sanctus Sanctorum, which comes from old vines planted between 1902 and 1905 in the La Crau sector. The 2010 (820 magnums produced) hit 16.7% natural alcohol, but one would never know that from the wine’s intensity. This magical wine boasts an inky/ruby/purple color, astonishing richness and an extraordinary perfume of black raspberries, blackberries, licorice, lavender and loamy soil. So pure, unctuous and viscous, it is over-the-top in richness and intensity. Like all of the world’s greatest wines, it is an intellectual and hedonistic beauty that is capable of pure magic in its aromas and flavors. It should hit full maturity in about a decade, and last at least three decades thereafter.
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Wine Spectator
A lush, heady style, with raspberry coulis, blackberry paste and plum pâte de fruit notes layered with toasted wood spice and baker's chocolate notes. The finish picks up more and more grip with air in the glass. Will benefit from cellaring.
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Clos Saint Jean is a 41 hectare estate in Châteauneuf-du-Pape run by brothers Vincent and Pascal Maurel. Considered by many critics and wine-writers as the preeminent estate espousing the modern style of winemaking in Châteauneuf, this cellar is one of the oldest in the region having been founded in 1900 by the great-great-grandfather of Vincent and Pascal, Edmund Tacussel. A short time after its founding and well before the AOP of Chateauneuf-du-Pape was created in 1923, Edmund began bottling estate wines in 1910.
The various vineyards of Clos Saint Jean are located primarily in the region of Le Crau. This plateau is perhaps the most iconic of the many terroirs of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, iron-rich red clays topped with galets. While about 60% of their vineyards are located here, specifically in the lieu-dits of Côteau de Saint Jean and Cabane de Saint-Jean, another 40% are located in alluvial clay and sandy soils adjacent to the plateau. They also own a small parcel of Mourvedre in the lieu-dit of Bois-Dauphin near Château Rayas planted on sandy, limestone-rich soils.
The farming at Clos Saint Jean is fully sustainable due to the warm and dry climate which obviates the need for chemical inputs. Vincent and Pascal employ organic methods for pest control, mainly pheromones to prevent pests from taking up Le Crau with Châteauneuf-du-Pape on the horizon.