CLOS SAINT JEAN DEUS EX MACHINA C-D-P 2012

Clos Saint-Jean
Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Deus Ex-Machina 2012

“The 2012 Châteauneuf du Pape Deus Ex Machina is a blend of 60% Grenache aged in foudre (from close to 100-year-old vines) and 40% Mourvedre aged in demi-muids. Its deep ruby/purple color is followed by incredible notes of cassis, roasted meats, licorice, toasted spice and a liquid rock-like minerality. Full-bodied, massive and concentrated, yet also seamless, elegant and incredibly polished, it flows onto the palate with building tannin, no hard edges and perfect balance. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this merit a perfect rating in the future, and it should hit prime-time drinking around age 10, and have 20-25 years of overall longevity. It’s one of the few wines to hit this level of quality in the vintage.” – 98/100, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

“The largest-scaled and structured of the lineup, the 2012 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Deus-Ex Machina is a blend of 60% tank-aged Grenache and 40% barrel-aged (demi-muid) Mourvèdre. Deep, concentrated and dense, with a massive core of dark berry and currant fruit, graphite, ground pepper, pan drippings and dusty earth aromas and flavors, this blockbuster effort is incredibly full-bodied in the vintage, yet never puts a foot wrong. My guess is that it will require a handful of years in the cellar and then age gracefully for two decades.” – 97/100, Jeb Dunnuck

VARIETIES: 60% Grenache, 40% Mourvedre
REGION: France / Rhone Valley / Southern Rhône / Châteauneuf-du-Pape
AGEING: 60% tank-aged Grenache and 40% barrel-aged (demi-muid) Mourvèdre
GUARDING POTENTIAL: Enjoy now or will cellar well up to 25 years
SERVE: Serve at 16 – 18ºC
FITS TO: Prime Rib of Beef, Wild Rabbit Stew, Saint Félicien Cheese, Lièvre à la royale, Grilled Lobster
CRITICS SCORES: RP/98, WS/96
VIVINO: Average 4.5 ★★★★✰

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Clos Saint-Jean | Range | Pascal and Vincent Maurel

Clos Saint-Jean is a family estate founded in 1900 by Edmund Tacussel. The estate started bottling and selling their wine in 1910. In 1930, the estate came to the management of Camille Maurel, Leopold Tacussel’s son-in-law and heir of the Maurel family, a long line of landowners and vignerons in Châteauneuf. In 1991, brothers Pascal and Vincent Maurel, the 5th generation of Tacussel/Maurel working on the vineyards took over. However, the most recent chapter in the estate’s history began only in 2002, when a lot of changes occurred, starting with the implication of Philippe Cambie as consulting oenologist.

The brothers look after 48 hectares of vines including some spectacular parcels of old vines. Out of their 48 hectares, only 1 hectare is planted with white grape varietals.

The majority of their holdings are in the southeastern sector of the appellation, in the region of Le Crau. The plateau of Le Crau is perhaps the most iconic of the many terroirs of Châteauneuf-du-Pape with iron-rich red clays topped with pebbles. The vines here are between 60 and 100-year-old. While about 60% of their vineyards are located on the plateau, 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.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Deus Ex-Machina

Deus ex Machina is a blend of old vine Grenache (60%) from La Crau, aged in tank with equally old Mourvedre (40%) from the sandy soils of Bois-Dauphin aged in demi-muid. The cuvee is named after a literary and dramatic term for a miraculous intervention that interrupts a logical course of events in a plot or play.