Domaine de la Janasse

### History Domaine de la Janasse is a family estate based in Courthézon, on the northern edge of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation. The Sabon family has farmed vines here for generations, and the domaine as it exists today was shaped significantly by Aimé Sabon, who built up the holdings and reputation through the latter half of the twentieth century. His children, Isabelle and Christophe Sabon, took on responsibility for the estate in the 1990s, with Christophe directing winemaking and Isabelle handling much of the commercial side. Under their stewardship the domaine rose from regional respectability to international recognition, largely on the back of the Vieilles Vignes and Chaupin cuvées, which began attracting serious critical attention in the early 2000s. The estate remains family-owned and family-run, with no outside investment or négociant activity complicating the picture.

### Vineyards The domaine holds parcels spread across several distinct sectors of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, giving the Sabons access to a wide range of soil types. These include the large rounded galets roulés (the appellation's signature quartz cobbles) that store heat and define much of the plateau, as well as sandier and more clay-limestone soils in lower-lying areas. The Chaupin lieu-dit is a specific sandy-soiled sector that produces wines of particular aromatic finesse and earlier accessibility relative to the domaine's other reds. Vine age is a genuine asset here: the Vieilles Vignes cuvée draws on some of the estate's oldest plantings, with Grenache vines of considerable age contributing to concentration and complexity. White varieties are also planted, supporting the Blanc and Blanc Prestige cuvées. Specific certified organic or biodynamic status is not publicly confirmed for this estate; farming appears to be reasoned and attentive to the vines without carrying an official certification label.

### Winemaking Christophe Sabon works with whole-cluster and destemmed fruit depending on the cuvée, with the approach varying by vintage conditions and the wine's intended profile. Fermentation takes place in a mix of vessels, and the aging program draws on both large oak foudres and, to varying degrees depending on the wine, smaller barrels. The Vieilles Vignes rouge receives extended aging and sees more new oak influence than the entry-level red, while the Chaupin is handled to preserve the aromatic lift that its sandy terroir naturally delivers. The whites, including the Blanc Prestige, are taken seriously here: they are fermented and aged with care for texture and freshness, a combination that is harder to achieve in Châteauneuf than the reds-first reputation of the appellation might suggest. Across the range, the winemaking leans toward extraction and structure in the reds without tipping into overworked territory; the wines are built to age but show well young, particularly Chaupin.