In 1957, Guy Maurel took over the Clos St Jean estate, and today his grandchildren have succeeded him. The Clos Saint-Jean vineyard covers more than 40 hectares, including around 20 hectares on the famous Crau plateau. Only 1 hectare is devoted to white Rhone wines, with Grenache blanc, Clairette and Roussanne. As for the red Rhone wines, the famous Clos Saint Jean Châteauneuf Combe des Fous (red) is a tribute to Guy Maurel, who finally persisted in planting vines on a combe, despite the advice of many of his fellow winegrowers. Called 'crazy' by all his neighbours, he accepted his decision and today this is one of the estate's flagship vintages. The reputation of the Clos St Jean estate is well established, and its wines are renowned for being fairly concentrated and massive, yet perfectly balanced. Yields are totally controlled here, using disbudding and green harvesting techniques to select the best bunches, concentrate the juice and improve the quality of the vineyard. The Grenache is aged in vats to preserve its fruity balance and finesse. The other grape varieties are matured in barrels for one year. This is a full-bodied, generous wine that reveals its full potential with age. Clos Saint-Jean produces 5 cuvées of red Châteauneuf-du-Pape and one white Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The Clos Saint Jean estate favours complete destemming, long maceration and ageing in oak barrels or one-year demi-muids. The Grenache is not aged in oak barrels. Philippe Cambie has been the consultant oenologist since 2003, and the Clos St Jean wines are renowned for their great complexity and power. The Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc is produced in very small quantities, and is arguably one of the finest whites in the appellation. The Clos St Jean Châteauneuf du Pape Rouge is concentrated and full-bodied, with lovely notes of garrigue, and will improve over at least 10 years. The Clos Saint Jean Deus Ex Machina refers to the estate's spirit of innovation and adaptation. Constantly seeking technical and qualitative improvements, the estate is prepared to make substantial changes to achieve the best possible result. In the end, the 'Deus ex Machina' cuvée impresses with its incredible elegance, chocolatey deliciousness and vibrant complexity on a still fleshy fruit with notes of leather, violet, amber and vanilla. It combines concentration, depth and perfect balance (the cuvée has been awarded the supreme critical rating of 100/100 several times). Critics and wine lovers are unanimous: the Clos St Jean cuvées are a must-taste.
Find other estates in the Châteauneuf du Pape appellation such as Domaine Chapoutier and Rayas at Vins & Millésimes, where you can buy the best bottles of old wines and grands crus online. All our wines are in stock and available for fast delivery! Discover the bottles and Magnums of Clos St Jean available for purchase!