The Châteauneuf du Pape Beauties of Domaine de la Janasse

Winemaker Christophe Sabon turns out both sumptuous Châteauneuf du Pape and value-priced Côtes du Rhônes from his Provençal vineyard

by Robert Parker

This large estate of over 136 acres is probably best known for its three cuvées (the old-vine Vieilles Vignes, Chaupin, and Traditionalle) of Châteauneuf du Pape, but they also produce some extraordinary as well as inexpensive Côtes du Rhônes. Following are my tasting notes on recent releases from the 2005 and 2006 vintages.

87 points
2006 Côtes du Rhône

The 2006 Côtes du Rhône, which is aged totally in foudres, is a wine of 50% grenache, 23% syrah, and the rest cinsault, mourvèdre, and syrah. This deep ruby/purple wine reveals loads of pepper, licorice, smoke, herbs, and sweet cherry, and black currant. Excellent texture, medium body, soft tannins, and low acidity make for quite a luscious style of wine to drink over the next three or four years. $16

88 points
2006 Côtes du Rhône Blanc

The 2006 Côtes du Rhône white, a blend of 50% white grenache and the rest clairette, Bourboulenc, marsanne, and viognier, is a high-class dry white that comes across like a mineral-laced Chablis from the north. Hints of rose petals intermixed with wet stones and citrus are all present in this medium-bodied, delicious wine to drink over the next several years. $16

89 points
2006 Côtes du Rhône-Villages Terre d'Argile

One of the more brilliant inexpensive wines of the southern Rhône is Janasse's 2006 Côtes du Rhône-Villages Terre d'Argile, which essentially means "clay soils." A blend of grenache, syrah, and mourvèdre, the wine is deep, medium to full-bodied, showing peppery, smoky, earthy notes intermixed with plenty of black cherry and raspberry fruit notes as well as hints of chocolate and spice. The wine should drink well for five to seven years if not longer. $18

89 points
2005 Côtes du Rhône-Villages Terre d'Argile

The 2005 Côtes du Rhône-Villages Terre d'Argile is a beauty. Dark ruby/purple with notes of roasted meats, spice box, tobacco leaf, licorice, and red and black fruits, it is dense, chewy, has some tannins to resolve, but is quite a mouthful of wine that should age nicely for five to eight years. $18

90 points
2006 Châteauneuf du Pape Blanc

This white wine is made from 40% white grenache, 30% roussanne, and 30% clairette. It is put through full malolactic and aged in barrel, but the wood is not a factor in the wine's aromatics or flavors. Crisp underlying acidity buttresses a relatively full-bodied, fleshy wine with a real taste of the soil. There is something very Alsatian Riesling about the character of this wine. It is medium to full-bodied, dry, crisp, and fresh. Drink it over the next three to four years. $44

90 points
2006 Côtes du Rhône Les Garrigues

A real blockbuster, the 2006 Côtes du Rhône Les Garrigues is mostly from old-vine grenache with some mourvèdre. The wine is deep ruby/purple with spectacular black raspberry and kirsch notes intermixed with licorice, smoked herbs, and meat juices. It has fabulous purity, superb texture, and an amazingly long finish. In 2006 this is slightly less powerful than the 2005, but what a superb wine. It should evolve nicely for at least 10-12 years. It is a great Côtes du Rhône at a fabulous price. $20-$22

91 points
2006 Châteauneuf du Pape Tradition

The 2006 Châteauneuf du Pape Tradition is 80% grenache and equal parts syrah and mourvèdre, with winemaker Christophe Sabon saying the mourvèdre was the best he had seen in over a decade form his estate vineyards. The grenache is aged in foudre, but small barrels are used for the syrah and mourvèdre. Dense ruby/purple, structured for a 2006, with sweet, concentrated fruit, low acidity, and ripe tannin, this is a seriously endowed, concentrated Châteauneuf du Pape that begs for two to three years of bottle age, and should drink well for 15 or more years. $35

92 points
2006 Châteauneuf du Pape Cuvée Prestige Blanc

Sadly, fewer than 1,000 bottles were made of the 2006 Châteauneuf du Pape Blanc Cuvée Prestige. Made from 70% roussanne and the rest the other permitted white varietals of Châteauneuf du Pape and aged in old barrels, the wine has stunning richness, a classic rose petal nose intermixed with orange marmalade, nectarine, pear, and lichee. The wine is full-bodied, with beautiful texture, purity, and crisp acidity. It should drink nicely for four to five years, possibly a lot longer. $58

92 points
2005 Châteauneuf du Pape Tradition

The 2005 Châteauneuf du Pape Tradition reveals great fruit and a dark ruby color in a masculine, palate-saturating style, with notes of meat, black fruits, licorice, earth, and roasted herbs. The wine is dense, moderately high in tannin, and full-bodied, and should be at its best between 2010 and 2020+. $45

92 points
2005 Côtes du Rhône Les Garrigues

An amazing wine, the 2005 Côtes du Rhône Les Garrigues eclipsed 15.6% natural alcohol. Tasting like a Châteauneuf du Pape rather than a Côtes du Rhône, it exhibits a gorgeous nose of blackberries, sweet kirsch, licorice, loamy soil, and truffles. Superb concentration, an opulent, fleshy texture, and a blockbuster finish make for one of the most profound Côtes du Rhônes I have ever tasted. $18