Rotem & Mounir Saouma

Rotem & Mounir Saouma are the owners of Burgundy micro-negotiant Lucien Le Moine. Their venture in Chateauneuf-du-Pape started out with the purchase in 2006 of a small, neglected parcel of land (a mere 5 acres) in Pignan, adjacent to the Bois de Rayas of Chateau Rayas. Further expansion followed, and they now own 9 vineyards spread across all five villages of Chateauneuf-du-Pape (including 2 hectares in Pignan). The winemaking philosophy is carried over from their work at Lucien Le Moine - very different from the current orthodoxy. White grapes are pressed hard, with plenty of oxygenation. Fermentation is natural, lees-ageing is extended. Red grapes are destemmed, then left in a concrete tank for fourteen days of cold maceration, and three weeks of fermentation without intervention (or sulphur). Barrel-ageing follows, for three or four years, often without racking. Unwaxed amphorae and concrete eggs are also used for the red wines. /JH