The Akita prefecture is situated on the beautiful lush island of Honshu and boasts of beautiful mountain ranges, velvety forests, and crisp blue lakes. This prefecture is a beautiful region that has been labeled as an ideal land for sake production. The Akita prefecture is the fourth sake producing region and is known as a fantastic land filled with high quality rice, cool water, and nice cool weather that aid sake brewing. The cold and frigid winters often bring large amounts of snow. The Akita prefecture’s first record is dated the year 658, but in 733, Akita Castle was built in the region and more roads and buildings were crafted as a result. The region remained mostly separated from Japanese culture and society until around the year 600, due to its location. The prefecture was the home of mostly tribes and hunters. The Akita prefecture is situated far from sprawling metropolitan areas, which is one of the reasons why some believe that sake production only escalated during the 20th century, when technology and transportation expanded. Today, there are roughly 50 breweries in the prefecture. The breweries initially crafted ginjo, but today, the region produces some of the best sakes because of its lush landscapes and climate.
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All older vintage wines have been purchased from a single collectors cellar. Pictures can be requested before shipment.
Clos Saint-Jean is a 41-hectare estate in Châteauneuf-du-Pape run by brothers Vincent and Pascal Maurel. Considered by many critics and wine-writers as the preeminent estate espousing the modern style of winemaking in Châteauneuf, this cellar is one of the oldest in the region, having been founded in 1900 by the greatgreat-grandfather of Vincent and Pascal, Edmund Tacussel. A short time after its founding and well before the AOP of Chateauneuf-du-Pape was created in 1923, Edmund began bottling estate wines in 1910.
The farming at Clos Saint-Jean is fully sustainable due to the warm and dry climate, which prevents the need for chemical inputs. Instead, Vincent and Pascal employ organic methods for pest control, mainly pheromones, to prevent pests from taking up residence in their vines, a process called amusingly enough in French, confusion sexuelle. The vines tended manually, and harvest is conducted in several passes entirely by hand.
Deus ex Machina is a literary and dramatic term for a miraculous intervention that interrupts a logical course of events in a plot or play. A suitable name for a cuvée that had it’s start in the torrid vintage of 2003 when Philippe Cambie and Vincent Maurel made the decision to harvest at the end of September, weeks after their neighbors. Deus ex Machina is a blend of old vine Grenache from La Crau, aged in tank with equally ancient Mourvedre from the sandy soils of BoisDauphin aged in demi-muid. Deus ex Machina is only made in the best vintages.
Review:
Lastly, the 2022 Châteauneuf Du Pape Deus-Ex Machina shows a similar profile to the Combes des Fous, yet it brings another level of tannins and concentration. Kirsch liqueur, white flowers, sandalwood, cured meats, and graphite notes all shine here, and it's full-bodied, has a deep, layered, powerful, yet weightless profile, lots of ripe tannins, and a blockbuster of a finish. This ripe, sexy, seamless, incredibly impressive beauty will compete with anything in the vintage. As usual, this cuvée is 60% Grenache and 40% Mourvedre, which is brought up in roughly 40% new demi-muids.
Review: Jeb Dunnuck 97 Points