Domaine de la Janasse

Located in the village of Courtezon in the Vaucluse department, Domaine de la Janasse has grown from a small family-run estate into one of the most respected brands in the Southern Rhône. Run by the Sabon family, this estate produces wines from regions such as the Côtes du Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape and IGP, and is a benchmark for Grenache-based red wines from this region.

History

This story began in 1967, when Aimé Sabon, having returned from military service, took over the management of the family vineyards. Prior to this, the harvest from the vineyards had been sold wholesale to local cooperatives and wine merchants. In 1973, he built his own winery in the ‘La Janasse’ area on the family farm, from which the winery takes its name. Aimé devoted himself to developing the estate, and over time the vineyard area expanded from 15 to approximately 90 hectares.

His son Christophe joined the business and took over the management of the winery; in 2001, his daughter Isabelle, who had trained in winemaking in Toulouse, also joined the team. As Émé’s wife, Hélène, handles the administrative affairs, the winery continues to operate as a family business.

Vineyards

The vineyards are spread across more than sixty plots located in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the Côtes-du-Rhône and the IGP zone. This mosaic-like layout was a carefully considered choice: each grape variety is closely linked to a specific soil type and aspect. For example, white grape varieties and Syrah are grown on cooler, north-east-facing sandy-limestone soils, whilst Mourvèdre is grown on warmer plots covered with ‘galets de Roulé’ (i.e. the famous rounded pebbles). All harvesting is carried out by hand.

Terroir

These plots make up the typical mosaic landscape of the Southern Rhône Valley: rounded galets from the Rhône River, clay-limestone and sandy soils, as well as pebble zones. The galets absorb solar energy during the day and release heat at night, which helps the late-ripening Mourè and Gernanat varieties reach full maturity. Plots with a cooler climate and sandy-limestone soils allow white grape varieties and Syrah to retain their freshness and balance. Some of the oldest vines grow on the famous ‘La Crau’ plot.

Grape varieties

Grenache is the main grape variety and the king of the winery, particularly in Châteauneuf-du-Pape red wines, where some of the old vines are approaching a century in age. In addition, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault and Carignan are used for the production of red wines. For white wines, Grenache, Lousanne, Clairette and other white varieties from Port-du-Pape are selected, as well as Viognier for IGP wines.

Winemaking Method

The winery currently holds organic certification. In the cellar, wines from each vineyard plot are produced separately. The winemaking team uses partial destemming, gentle manual punch-downs and extended maceration to gently extract aromas and tannins.

Grenache is usually fermented in concrete vats and aged in large oak barrels to preserve its fruitiness and freshness. Syrah and Mourvèdre are fermented in conical oak vats and aged in a combination of new French oak barrels and large casks, giving these top-tier wines a slightly modern flavour profile. White wines are produced using a blend of oak barrels and stainless steel vats.

Wines

The Châteauneuf-du-Pape range includes red and white wines from the ‘Tradition’ series, ‘Cuvée Chopin’ (100% old vines from Hermesan), the full-bodied ‘Vieilles Vignes’, and the rare white wine ‘Prestige Blanc’, produced in very small quantities and made predominantly from the Louzan grape variety. The Côtes-du-Rhône range includes red and white wines from the ‘Tradition’ series, as well as wines from specific terroirs such as ‘Les Garrigues’, ‘Terre d’Argile’ and ‘Terre de Bussière’. A small selection of fine IGP wines, including those made from the Viognier grape, rounds off the entire range.

The best vintages

Their success reached a peak in 2007 when the Vieilles Vignes cuvée was awarded 100 points by Robert Parker.

The winery's best vintages are: 1998, 1999, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019.