In 1967, Aimé Sabon returned from his military service. He took over the vineyards of his father (who delivered his grapes to the cooperative winery) and his stepfather (who sold the wine to négociants). In 1973, Aimé built his own winery. Thus, Domaine de la Janasse was born, named after the family farm located in Courthézon, in a place called "La Janasse."
Aimé was ambitious. Aware of possessing a fabulous terroir, he continually expanded the estate by acquiring new plots of land. From 15 hectares in the beginning, La Janasse now covers more than 90 hectares.
Domaine de la Janasse has quickly become one of the Superstar estates of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Led by the dynamic Christophe Sabon, the estate combines the best of both traditional and modern techniques to craft a collection of truly riveting wines from “simple” value-priced VDP’s and top-tier Cotes du Rhone to benchmark Chateauneufs.
In 2021, Janasse didn't bottle a Les Garrigues, so that fruit went into the 2021 Cotes du Rhone Villages Terre d'Argile. There's no doubt it improved the quality of this wine, a blend of approximately one-quarter each Grenache, Mourvèdre, Carignan and Syrah. Between tapenade and blackcurrant, the cuvée Terre d'Argile offers a concentration of aromas. Dense and fleshy, the mouth reveals deep and smooth notes of ripe fruit, and a lingering savory notes. Cherries, garrigue and raspberry notes all appear on the nose, while the medium to full-bodied palate is silky and fine, with a long, elegant finish.
