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Clos Saint-Jean Chateauneuf du Pape Sanctus Sanctorum 2019 (Magnum 1.5L)  - First Bottle

Reviews

100 Jeb Dunnuck -
Lastly, the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Sanctus Sanctorum is one of those wines that’s hard to describe as it seems to change every time you come back to it. Offering a more translucent ruby hue as well as a smorgasbord-like array of blackberries, black raspberries, violets, Provençal garrigue, ground pepper, flowers, and smoke, it’s a dream wine in every sense. All Grenache from a single parcel in the La Crau lieu-dit, brought up in used demi-muids, it hits the palate with flawless balance, a powerful, full-bodied mouthfeel, perfectly ripe tannins, and a gorgeous finish. As with the other cuvées here, it has the fruit, texture, and balance to offer pleasure today yet is going to benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and cruise for two decades.
96-98 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate -
The 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape Sanctus Sanctorum—a 100% Grenache cuvée (from vines planted in 1905) matured in new demi-muids—looks to have the concentrated fruit to handle the oak better than the 2018. Dark and intense, it delivers waves of purple berries and black cherries, barely touched by vanilla and cedar. It's full-bodied and rich, and although the wood tannins do leave an impression, it's a gentle one relative to the wine's overall profile. While it may not quite equal the near-perfect 2016, it's close. The Maurel brothers went the extra mile to send me tank and barrel samples of their 2019s, so I've included those reviews here alongside the reviews of the bottled 2018s. Both years are successful here—the 2019s maybe slightly denser and more concentrated than the more elegant 2018s, but they aren't always better. This estate has become a model of consistency and excellence.
95 Wine Spectator -
This has a deep well of fruit to draw on, with raspberry, plum and boysenberry reduction notes that are well-defined as they move through steadily, picking up red tea, iron, garrigue and licorice root along the way. Shows ample structure that underscores the finish. This one's built for the cellar. Best from 2024 through 2040.

Technical Details

  • BlendGrenache
  • WinemakerPhilippe Cambie
  • CountryFrance
  • RegionRhone Valley
  • AppellationChateauneuf-du-Pape
  • VineyardLa Crau Lieu-dit
  • Oakdemi-muids
  • Alcohol16%

Clos Saint-Jean Chateauneuf du Pape Sanctus Sanctorum 2019 (Magnum 1.5L)

Rhone Blends  |  France
JD100, WA96-98, WS95

33% off retail!
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Jeb Dunnuck rants and raves about Clos Saint-Jean, but this particular vintage he fell in love: "Dark and intense, it delivers waves of purple berries and black cherries, barely touched by vanilla and cedar. It's full-bodied and rich, and although the wood tannins do leave an impression, it's a gentle one relative to the wine's overall profile."

About the Producer

Clos Saint-Jean farms 100 acres in southern Chateauneuf du Pape and is run by brothers Pascal and Vincent Maurel, with consulting help from Philippe Cambie. Releasing 5 Chateauneufs in top vintages, they also produce a wine in collaboration with Sine Qua Non in California's Santa Barbara County, and release another high-end collaboration from Chateauneuf called Chimere. While the winemaking here is often labeled as modern, it is actually relatively traditional, with the Grenache almost always aged in tank and only the Mourvedre and Syrah seeing time in larger, 500-600 liter oak barrels, or demi-muids.