2010 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Arioso

The Burgundies produced under the Saoumas' Lucien Le Moine label are consistently among the most expressive and flamboyant wines made in that region, and their new project in the southern Rhone seems poised to make a similar statement. Mounir Saouma told me that while many consider him a rebel or, worse, a modernist, his winemaking regimen is actually "about as traditional as you can get." The grapes here are never destemmed, get a cold maceration for 7 to 11 days, and are crushed in a small basket press; only free-run juice is used. Most important, in Saouma's view, is the fact that he uses all of the wines' lees during their elevage, which can run up to four years, in the Bonneau style. He admits that he's still getting the feel for grenache and its associated varieties and he's using a variety of vessels to raise his wines, including terra cotta amphorae. (-)