Domaine de Saje Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2022 750 ML

The Mathieu family is the oldest wine producing family in Chateauneuf. The wisdom of the ages is something keenly felt, and goes a long way toward explaining Jerome’s staunch traditionalism. Saje is an abbreviation of the names of his wife and son as well as his own; it’s also a play on the French word sage, which means the same in French as it does in English: to be wise. Jerome’s inheritance amounted to just over 23 acres across 26 parcels in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, with 2 hectares (five acres divided into two parcels) in appellation Cotes du Rhone. The Chateauneuf holdings are spread all over the appellation in various exposures, elevations, and soils. In the traditional manner, most are based on Grenache but are co-planted with many other varieties, adding up to all 13 permitted varietals. Each parcel is harvested en masse and fermented. As a result, Jerome enjoys a great deal of diversity with terroir and grape variety, which gives his wines an additional measure of complexity while also mitigating against high levels of alcohol in the wine (field blends need to be harvested at an average level of ripeness, whereas single-varietal parcels can easily be picked at an advanced level of ripeness tailored to a given varietal if so chosen). As noted, the style here is traditional. The reds ferment spontaneously, age in large concrete vats over the winter, and then are racked into old foudres.