Rotem & Mounir Saouma Chateauneuf-du-Pape Omnia 2018

  • 96 Wine
    Spectator
  • 96 Wine &
    Spirits
3.8 Very Good (9)
Sold Out - was $109.99
OFFER Take $20 off your order of $100+
Ships Thu, Apr 4
You purchased this 2/4/24
0
Limit Reached
You purchased this 2/4/24
Alert me about new vintages and availability
Rotem & Mounir Saouma Chateauneuf-du-Pape Omnia 2018  Front Bottle Shot
Rotem & Mounir Saouma Chateauneuf-du-Pape Omnia 2018  Front Bottle Shot Rotem & Mounir Saouma Chateauneuf-du-Pape Omnia 2018  Front Label

Product Details


Varietal

Region

Producer

Vintage
2018

Size
750ML

ABV
14%

Your Rating

0.0 Not For Me NaN/NaN/N

Somm Note

Winemaker Notes

The wine is 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, and 10% Mourvedre. The fruit is pressed firmly with small presses dating from the late 1970s, left in tank to macerate at relatively cool temperatures for 8 days, and then transferred to various vessels. The kaleidiscope of the terroirs he works with is reflected in the cellar, as well, where a combination of barrels, foudres, cement, and even eggs are used, all except the last of which can be considered “traditional” within the diversity of Chateauneuf’s viticultural history. The wines are never punched down, never racked, and only receive minimal sulfur after 18 months.

Professional Ratings

  • 96

    A dreamy wine, with a plume of incense, mulled raspberry and red tea aromas curling up from the glass, followed by a very silky and refined feel to the mix of gently mulled red fruit, singed wood spice and floral notes. The perfume carries through the finish authoritatively, leaving fresh and dried fruit, sous-bois and mineral notes in its wake. A beautiful and distinctive wine.

  • 96

    Rotem and Mounir Saouma’s aim with Omnia is to build complexity from the diversity of their nine parcels spread out over all five of Châteauneuf’s villages. The diversity continues in the cellar, where Mounir puts the juice into an assortment of containers, from large foudres to small concrete eggs. Then he leaves the wines to do their own thing for 18 months, without interference. The result is exceptional in how it combines clarity, finesse and grace with structure and complexity. You might even mistake it for a Burgundy, given its garnet hue and the flinty reduction at first pass. But then, with air, the meatiness of the grenache emerges, rosescented and raspberry-bright. The longer it’s opened, the brighter and more complex it gets, channeling berry patches and rose gardens, herbs and stones, a constant stream of impressions passing like a high-speed slideshow of Châteauneuf. 

Other Vintages

2020
  • 95 Wine
    Spectator
2019
  • 94 Wine
    Spectator
  • 94 James
    Suckling
2016
  • 97 Wine
    Spectator
  • 96 Decanter
  • 95 Jeb
    Dunnuck
2015
  • 96 Wine
    Spectator
  • 95 Decanter
  • 94 Wine &
    Spirits
  • 92 Jeb
    Dunnuck
2012
  • 95 Wine
    Spectator
  • 92 Robert
    Parker
Rotem & Mounir Saouma

Rotem & Mounir Saouma

View all products
Rotem & Mounir Saouma, France
Rotem & Mounir Saouma Rotem & Mounir Saouma Winery Image

Let’s start at the beginning: five acres in Pignan. A sale was being conducted through the French state that presented the opportunity to buy a somewhat neglected parcel adjoining some outstanding plots (notably Rayas’ Bois de Rayas and the Pignan lieu-dit). The Saoumas have long loved the area and its wines, have many friends and saw they could potentially acquire land in a way that would not be possible in Burgundy. The sheer vitality of these vines today is extraordinary. 

They know and love Mounir Saouma because of the way he transmits both unknown and acknowledged great crus of Burgundy through his elevage into masterpieces, but it turns out he may be an even more talented vineyard manager. Mounir’s philosophy is in theory straightforward. He has worked to improve drainage in his vineyards, works with organic manures, and doesn’t mind the low yields he is getting in his plots. As is the case with most things in life, simplicity appears only after deliberation and experience. From this plot, Mounir has been able to acquire additional vineyards, and today farms a total of 21 acres across eight vineyards in all five villages of the appellation (Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Bedarrides, Sorgues, Courthezon, and Orange). 

The kaleidoscope of the terroirs he works with is reflected in the cellar, as well, where a combination of barrels, foudres, cement, and eggs are used, all except the last of which can be considered “traditional” within the diversity of Chateauneuf’s viticultural history. The fruit is pressed firmly with small presses dating from the late 1970s, left in tank to macerate at relatively cool temperatures for 8 days, and then transferred to the various vessels. The wines are never punched down, never racked, and never sulfured until a light addition a month before bottling. They age for between 24-36 months, including the white, which as you might expect has an outsized focus here.

The wines are stunning: precise, intense, complex, expressive visions of Chateauneuf.

Image for Rhône Blends content section
View all products

With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.

Image for Châteauneuf-du-Pape Wine content section
View all products

Famous for its full-bodied, seductive and spicy reds with flavor and aroma characteristics reminiscent of black cherry, baked raspberry, garrigue, olive tapenade, lavender and baking spice, Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the leading sub-appellation of the southern Rhône River Valley. Large pebbles resembling river rocks, called "galets" in French, dominate most of the terrain. The stones hold heat and reflect it back up to the low-lying gobelet-trained vines. Though the galets are typical, they are not prominent in every vineyard. Chateau Rayas is the most obvious deviation with very sandy soil.

According to law, eighteen grape varieties are allowed in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and most wines are blends of some mix of these. For reds, Grenache is the star player with Mourvedre and Syrah coming typically second. Others used include Cinsault, Counoise and occasionally Muscardin, Vaccarèse, Picquepoul Noir and Terret Noir.

Only about 6-7% of wine from Châteauneuf-du-Pape is white wine. Blends and single-varietal bottlings are typically based on the soft and floral Grenache Blanc but Clairette, Bourboulenc and Roussanne are grown with some significance.

The wine of Chateauneuf-du-Pape takes its name from the relocation of the papal court to Avignon. The lore says that after moving in 1309, Pope Clément V (after whom Chateau Pape-Clément in Pessac-Léognan is named) ordered that vines were planted. But it was actually his successor, John XXII, who established the vineyards. The name however, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, translated as "the pope's new castle," didn’t really stick until the 19th century.

AWIRHRE2018001_2018 Item# 676385

Internet Explorer is no longer supported.
Please use a different browser like Edge, Chrome or Firefox to enjoy all that Wine.com has to offer.

It's easy to make the switch.
Enjoy better browsing and increased security.

Yes, Update Now

Search for ""