Rotem and Mounir Saouma
Châteauneuf-du-Pape Magis 2022
Chateauneuf-du-Pape
Another unsurprising but jawdropping discovery when encountering the Saouma wines: Magis, Mounir’s white Chateauneuf from the heavily limestone Pierredon vineyard in Bedarrides. It makes sense that a producer of great white Burgundy would quickly become enchanted by the possibilities here. Only 3% of Chateauneuf is white, and virtually all of it is bottled after 6 months. Mounir’s chateauneuf is aged 18-24 months and has already been compared to some of the great white Burgundy crus for its depth and minerality.
VINEYARD
From the first little bottling of white that Mounir did, he became more intent on buying and in fact planting vineyards to produce white Chateauenuf. This wine has been in the past fully from the heavily limestone Pierredon vineyard in Bedarrides, but additional plots in Courthezon have been planted.
WINEMAKING
Hand-picked and whole-bunch pressed, the must is transferred to 500-litre barrels on full lees with no racking at any stage. Varieties are co-fermented where the vintage allows. Primary fermentation often extends into the following spring, followed by malolactic, with the wine then aged on full lees for a minimum of two years. Little to no sulphur is added during élevage. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.
VINTAGE
The 2022 vintage in Chateauneuf du Pape was defined by intense heat and drought, with rainfall far below average from March onwards. A wet winter helped replenish water tables before the dry season took hold. Storms in mid-August brought relief but also hail, reducing yields in affected parcels, and harvest was exceptionally early. Low yields produced highly concentrated, powerful wines with strong aging potential, making Chateauneuf the standout appellation of the vintage.
TASTING NOTE
This wine shows a mystifying mix of both suppleness and tension, and a piercing minerality. A unique Châteauneuf blanc.
FOOD PAIRING
Chicken with a creamy tarragon sauce
Color
White
Blend %
100% Rhone White Blend
Appellation
Chateauneuf-du-Pape
Alcohol
15%
Suggested Retail Price
$171
Reviews
Wine Spectator - December 9, 2025 "A distinctive, singular style, with tangy, salty layers of apple and melon powered by succulent lemon-lime acidity. Silky and finessed, wafting with smoke and flint on the close."
Vinous - November 1, 2024 "The 2022 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Magis is a beauty. Tender jasmine, cedar, pear and pristine honeysuckle are all pushed forward. Full-bodied, concentrated and so complete, the 2022 is a gorgeously perfumed and refined Magis that walks off the stage with saline subtleties on the long finale. Utterly delicious."
Trade Materials
Other Wines by this Producer
Inopia Côtes-du-Rhône Villages Blanc
Côtes-du-Rhône
Rotem & Mounir’s whites are breathtaking. This village level wine is no exception, following the similar philosophy of exceptional terroir paired with high quality, low yielding fruit that remains undisturbed for an extended period of time after fermentation.
Inopia Côtes-du-Rhône Villages Rouge
Côtes-du-Rhône
The Saouma’s purchased a desolate plot of land in Orange in 2011. A minimal intervention approach combined with the image of the original barren land inspired the name of the wine, INOPIA, which translates to “made from nothing” in Latin.
Amphorae Collection
Chateauneuf-du-Pape
Every year Mounir will select several crus to age in Amphorae, where they will remain untouched for around a year, with no input. Then a gentle pressing and bottling. These wines transmit the characteristics of their terroir in a pure, unvarnished manner. Not normal wines, but then again nothing Mounir Saouma does is normal .
Châteauneuf-du-Pape Omnia
Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Omnia, Latin for "all," is a wine that attempts to encompass the full diversity of the Chateauneuf-du-Pape appellation, both in its terroir and vinification. Fruit comes from vineyards in all 5 of the Chateauneuf communes (Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Courthezon, Sorgues, Bedarrides and Orange) and aged in foudre, cement and 500 liter barrels.
Châteauneuf-du-Pape Arioso
Châteauneuf-du-Pape
From his original 5 acres in Pignan, Mounir has one plot, of 100% Grenache planted in the 1930s, which yields naturally at a miniscule 1 ton per acre. From these vines he produces Arioso, a Chateauneuf of astounding depth and finesse.
