“A domaine is not the sum of their interests. It is the sum of their gifts.” St. Exupéry’s beautiful words could have been written for the Sabons, proprietors of Domaine de la Janasse since 1976.
Classic Janasse Labelling
Since taking over the winemaking from his father Aime in 1991, Christophe Sabon, with help from Isabelle, his sister, has set this 45 hectare property on the road to becoming a Beaucastel of the future. Tiny yields from the old vines that are farmed organically give Janasse wines great intensity of fruit, while the flavours are preserved by temperature control, and expertly sculpted by judicious use of barrique. Christophe’s clear talent is to express the brightness and intensity of the grape, and capture all the nuances of terroir.
“What this family operation has achieved in the last decade is nothing short of remarkable considering the breadth of wines made, from their Vins de Pays, which are among the finest in France, to their world class Cotes du Rhones and Chateauneuf-du-Papes.” Robert Parker reviews Domaine de la Janasse for The Wine Advocate.
Whilst the Domaine has clearly built its reputation on the quality of its Chateauneuf-du-Papes and Cotes du Rhones reds, Christophes white Rhone whites and his Vin de Pay whites are tremendous wines – due in part to the fact that they are lavished with the same care and attention as the ‘marquee wines’. In 2006 through to 2009 the wines from this domaine have earned phenomenal praise. For the time being they don’t have the same price tag as neighbours like Beaucastel, Vieux Telegraphe and Rayas.