Domaine de la Janasse Chateauneuf-du-Pape Chaupin 2020 (Magnum 1.5L)

"Domaine de la Janasse is one of the great winemaking estates of not only France, but of the world." - Robert Parker, Jr.

We’ve shared that quote before, but really...it just so deftly captures the magic that the Sabon family has created here. One of CdP’s brightest stars, with an exceptional cuvee of some of their oldest plantings, in a vintage that showcases the elegance, longevity, and remarkable purity possible in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. 99 POINTS and sure to age for decades...this is the perfect magnum of CdP to add to your collection – all at the best price in the U.S.A.!

The estate got started in the early 1970s when Aimé Sabon took over his father’s farm. Like many in Châteauneuf, the family had always sold their grapes to the local co-op, but Aimé bucked that trend – building his own cellar and producing his own wines. He named it Domaine de la Janasse after the family farm in Courthézon, in the locality of “La Janasse”. Starting with 15 hectares, Aimé’s ambition led to his acquiring more and more neighboring plots...today, the estate has over 90 hectares.

This 100% grenache bottling hails almost exclusively from the Chaupin lieu-dit in the northern part of the appellation – where 110+-year-old vines grown in sandy, rocky soils thrive a stone’s throw from the Sabon family’s ancestral home. Jeb Dunnuck calls this wine "a grenache lover's dream", and goes on to state that this belongs in the discussion of perhaps the very best-ever bottling of this wine. It’s certainly the best we’ve tried over the years, abounding with ethereal purity, freshness, and searing intensity like few straight grenache wines we’ve ever tasted!

Floral notes of lavender pastilles, myriad bramble berry sensations, and that utterly classic CdP garrigue, with just a whisper of white pepper – this just might be the Platonic ideal of the grenache grape. We got as many as we could, but 99-point magnums from all-time legendary estates don’t tend to last long, especially at prices like this!