2009 Rotem & Mounir Saouma Chateauneuf du Pape Arioso Rouge

Rotem and Mounir Saouma own and rent about 15-acres of vineyards in Chateauneuf du Pape and produce their Rhone region wines under the Saouma label. Born in Lebanon, Mounir Saouma got his oenological education at the wine university in Montpellier in France and established his reputation as a high quality winemaker with his micro-negociant firm of Burgundian wines, called Lucien Le Moine.
 
Mounir Saouma is a "rebel" in the French wine world, often conducting non-traditional winemaking practices that shocks his peers. He believes in cold cellars and letting the wine develop at its own pace. In some cases, that means a 5-year elevage period (though the average is 2-3 years)! The end result of his "free-range parenting" style of winemaking can be characterized as "consistently stunning."  The wines are precise, intense, complex and expressive. Intriguing for all wine enthusiasts!
 
Vinous: "Burgundy lovers are by now acquainted with Saouma's Lucien Le Moine reds and whites, which are among Burgundy's most perfumed and downright sexy wines. The bloodline is quite clear in the couple's Châteauneufs, which share the finesse and intense fruit of their Burgundies and show a purity that's pretty uncommon for wines from the southern Rhône.”
 
Magis is Latin for 'more, much more'. Magis is produced from 75% Grenache Blanc, 10% Clairette, 10% Roussane and 5% Bourboulenc. Fermentation in barrels from the Jupilles forest (Pays de Loire) was followed by two years aging in the same barrels, on the lees, with just occasional stirring. Magis has never been racked, pumped, fined or filtered.