Clos Saint Jean

Clos Saint Jean is the undisputed NUMBER ONE of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation! Or do you know of any other winegrower in this region whose wines have been awarded 100 points anywhere near as often over the past 17 years? Without trading modesty for greed - the price of the first Deus ex Machina from 2003 differs from the current 2019 by just CHF 8.50.

"Irresistible" would come to mind if you were to ask me for the shortest possible description of Clos Saint Jean's 2019. In more detail, it would sound like this:

Smelling hellishly seductive of cherries, herbs, graphite and pepper, the "Tradition" flows powerfully, but without losing its indescribable elegance, into the palate, where fine-grained tannin shapes it into a beautiful, extremely attractive wine that can already be drunk with great pleasure today and will certainly give a lot of pleasure in ten or fifteen years' time.

"Deus ex Machina" is the measure of all things for many of us and is also the benchmark wine in 2019. Dark berries, ground pepper, bouquet garni, black chocolate combine with a nutty hint reminiscent of dry-aged beef on the bone to create a fragrance that makes me close my eyes, lean back, indulge and hope that the bottle will never be empty.

That's right, "La Combe des Fous" is also MY WINE in 2019. Because it screams PROVENCE with all its molecules, as Jeb Dunnuck aptly puts it, but also because it is always the most elegant wine from the Maurels, one that after a few years in the bottle is even more reminiscent of a great Burgundy from an exceptional vintage. Pure, clear, ultra high-definition, fascinating, even irresistible, this 2019 La Combe des Fous!

But there is another wine: Clos Saint Jean's pure, ultra-rare Grenache called "Sanctus Sanctorum", grown in an ancient plot in Le Crau, matured with great sensitivity in demi-muids and bottled exclusively in magnums. Unique, a gift from heaven, this "quintessential" Grenache!

You think I'm exaggerating? Then I strongly recommend that you try these wines for yourself! Because I am convinced that you will understand why I am singing the praises of these wines, which give us so much, express their terroir unfiltered and are refreshingly uncomplicated and entertaining at the highest level. Only Châteauneuf-du-Pape can do this - and Clos Saint Jean is the master!

Sincerely

Carl J. Studer