In what feels like overnight, Mounir Saouma’s Châteauneuf bottlings have become some of the most genuine, celebrated, awe-inspiring reds of contemporary times. They are a testament to ancient winemaking and the embodiment of nature itself, and today’s otherworldly “Omnia” (“all” in Latin) may exist as the region’s finest comprehensive example.
Its ability to simultaneously possess an unfading “fullness” and Grand-Cru-Burgundy purity is a mind-bending achievement. There is no de-stemming, no racking, no added yeasts, no fining/filtering—just a long, untouched maturation in a unique battery of barrels, foudres, and cement eggs. The results are wholly unique: It transcends conventionality and transports you far beyond the normalcy of wine flavors and textures. And although each release has been met with rapt attention and obsessive praise—by way of massive scores and descriptors like “dreamy,” “seamless,” and “beguiling”—today’s 2018 may be his greatest endeavor yet. Its immense power and endless textures are only matched by its startling grace and haunting perfume—an enchanting combination that eventually culminates with a profusion of minerals, spice, and earth. This is a masterful and distinctly profound Châteauneuf-du-Pape experience you will not soon forget. It can be savored after a long decant now or cellared for decades to come.
Before we dive any further, it's important to know that Lebanese-born Mounir Saouma is a character, as confirmed by my colleague, Mark Osburn, who was fortunate to have lunch with him in San Francisco. He recalls it vividly:
“Mounir was free and easy, completely devoid of ego or snobbery but extremely passionate, wise, and forthright. He believes Grenache and Pinot Noir are intricately linked and has spent the last dozen years proving it. He vinifies his Southern Rhône bottlings just like his famous Burgundies—without interference—and has flown around the world conducting side-by-side tastings of the two. At one point during our meal, he exclaimed ‘I had a blind tasting of my Châteauneufs and Burgundies in Paris and the Head Sommelier said ‘stop doing this, it is bad for Burgundy.’ Mounir is clearly proud of what he’s created in Southern France, but he attributes his success to that of Mother Nature and Grenache which he refers to as the ‘ambassador of terroir.’ Immediately after tasting us through his incredible lineup, most of which had received enormous scores and reviews, he ended the meal with a declaration I’ll never forget: ‘My wines are okay, but my honey and olive oil are the best in the world.’ Well, if today’s 2018 Omnia is just okay, his honey and olive oil must be the nectar of the gods!”
You’d think that Mounir and Rotem (his wife) would be content and/or too busy crafting the 80+ wines under their micro-négoce Burgundy label Lucien Le Moine, which includes tiny lots of exorbitantly priced Grand Cru Pinot Noir from Richebourg, Mazis-Chambertin, Bonnes-Mares, Échezeaux, and many others. But, since 2009, they’ve been slowly plotting land acquisitions in the Rhône and purchasing choice parcels in Châteauneuf-du-Pâpe, including some in the legendary Pignan lieu-dit. It should come as no surprise, then, that a couple who’ve spent more than a decade crafting have dedicated themselves to a style of CdP that emphasizes aromatic complexity, elegance, nerve, and suppleness above all else. In almost every respect, the Saoumas are vinifying their southern Rhône wines in the same manner as their Burgundy wines.
His 2018 Omnia comes from nine young and old-vine parcels, scattered across three unique Châteaneuf-du-Pape communes to best illustrate the region’s complex mosaic of soils and micro-climates. The whole-cluster grapes ferment slowly at a cool temperature and mature on all of their fine lees in a variety of vessels (Jupilles barrels, foudres, concrete eggs) for two years, without once being racked or pumped. During this time, the wines absorb some of their lees, which is the reason Mounir’s bottlings always have a “fullness” or “completeness” that others lack. The final blend was 80% Grenache with equal parts Syrah and Mourvèdre, and it was bottled unfined and unfiltered—he famously said doing otherwise would be the equivalent of “torturing someone then asking if they are happy.”
Saouma’s 2018 “Omnia” must be decanted for one hour before service in large Burgundy stems around 60 degrees. Only then should you begin to approach it! This is remarkably perfumed to a haunting degree: It spills out intoxicating aromas of mulled raspberry, redcurrant, plum pie, wild strawberry coulis, lavender, candied rose petal, underbrush, crushed stone, dried herbs, leather, Rooibos tea, and exotic baking spices. The full-bodied palate is incredibly dense but infused with superb energy and finesse that enhances the extremely fine-grained and sweet tannins. Its powerfully churning core of dried berry fruit and savory minerals is wrapped with a velvet glove that extends into a minutes-long finish. This is a masterpiece in the making. One can be enjoyed now but the true magic will start revealing itself around 2025 and far beyond—2040 is not out of the question. Enjoy.
