Nov 04, 2026

WS #12: The Drops of God for Thanksgiving - Clos des Papes Neighbor

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Originally sent to our list on November 4, 2026. Pricing and availability reflect that date — for current pricing and stock, see artisan.wine.

The Drops of God for Thanksgiving
Last Call: Wine Spectator’s #12 Wine of the Year

Clos des Papes Neighbor & Taste-Alike for 1/3rd the Price.
50-100 Year Old Vines. Artisan Wine Exclusive in the Country.

Order Clos Saint Jean 2020 →

• Last Call · Artisan Wine Exclusive In The Country

A Personal Note

Hey Artisans,

The Drops of God series was filmed at Chateau de Beaucastel in Chateauneuf-du-Pape. It was based on a the unique manga that moved wine markets around the world. It ran for a decade, it named a Châteauneuf-du-Pape from Domaine du Pégau among its Twelve Apostles, and it never revealed the thirteenth wine, the Drops of God themselves, because every person’s taste is different. Each of us gets our own.

This Thanksgiving, here is mine: the 2020 Clos Saint Jean Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes, #12 on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 of 2023. Drinking it is like drinking delicious velvet.

This is last call, and it is an Artisan Wine exclusive in the country. Only 670 cases of this bottling were ever imported.

Clos Des Papes’ Neighbor, For 1/3rd The Price

About 60% of Clos Saint Jean’s vines grow on Le Crau, the iron-rich red clay plateau buried under the big round galets you see in the photo above. It is perhaps the most iconic terroir in Châteauneuf.

Clos des Papes farms about seven hectares on the same plateau. So does Vieux Télégraphe, which names its wine after it. Clos Saint Jean even has a parcel of Mourvèdre in Bois-Dauphin, near Château Rayas.

Same stones, same sun. To me it is a taste-alike for Clos des Papes at 1/3rd the price.

50-100 Year Old Vines

The family started in the early 1900s with only two hectares, each generation adding parcels, and they were bottling their own wine by 1910, before Châteauneuf’s founding rules of 1923.

The vines in this bottling are 50 to 100 years old. The domaine deliberately avoids bottling wines from vines younger than 40, because old roots go deep, through layer after layer of soil. Everything is picked by hand, in several passes.

Why It Tastes Like Velvet

In 2003 the family rebuilt the winery from scratch. Out went about three years in large oak casks. In came concrete tanks, 21 tanks for 21 parcels, so the fruit stays pure. Their first 100-point score from Robert Parker came in 2005.

This bottling was selected with the late Rhône legend Philippe Cambié, who passed away in December 2021, and importer Eric Solomon, especially for the American market. Same blend as the main cuvée, more old-vine Grenache.

The Thanksgiving Wine

Thanksgiving asks a lot of a bottle: sage in the stuffing, cranberry on the plate, dark meat and white. Here you get Wine Spectator’s raspberry reduction and plum, and Jeb Dunnuck’s ground herbs and loamy earth, in a wine he calls “seamless, incredibly elegant.”

And it is ready. Wine Spectator says best from 2024 through 2038, so pour it on the 26th with no apologies.

James Tran

Artisan Wine & Spirits

Why This Matters

•	Wine Spectator’s #12 Wine Of The Year. 95 points, Top 100 of 2023, with Jeb Dunnuck 93, Wine Advocate 92 and Vinous 92.

•	Clos des Papes’ neighbor and taste-alike. The same Le Crau plateau, at 1/3rd the price.

•	50-100 year old vines. 900 cases made, 670 imported, selected with the late Philippe Cambié.

•	Last call. An Artisan Wine exclusive in the country, in time for the Thanksgiving table.

Order Clos Saint Jean 2020 →

The Wine · Last Call

2020 Clos Saint Jean. Vieilles Vignes.

Wine Spectator 95 and #12 of 2023. Jeb Dunnuck 93. Wine Advocate and Vinous 92.

Clos Saint Jean Chateauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes 2020 bottle

50-100 Year Old Vines#12 Top 100Last Call

Clos Saint Jean Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes 2020

Le Crau · Châteauneuf-du-Pape · Southern Rhône · 750 mL

Wine Spectator

Jeb Dunnuck

Wine Advocate

Vinous

Every review:

Wine Spectator · James Molesworth

95 Points · #12 Top 100 Of 2023

Leads with warm ganache and fig bread notes, followed quickly by raspberry reduction accents that take some time to unwind. Showcases plum pâte de fruit, sanguine and black licorice notes, with a flicker of Turkish coffee underscoring the finish and giving this a decidedly dark profile in the end. Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Vaccarèse and Muscardin. Best from 2024 through 2038. 900 cases made, 670 cases imported. February 2023

Jeb Dunnuck

93 Points

As usual, the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Vieilles Vignes brings more richness and depth without losing any sense of elegance or balance. Blackberries, ground herbs, chalky minerality and loamy earth flow to a ripe, medium to full-bodied, seamless, incredibly elegant 2020 with tons of character. It will evolve for 10-15 years as well. November 2022

Wine Advocate · Joe Czerwinski

92 Points

A bottling for the American importer (Eric Solomon/European Selections), the 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes is blended to the same proportions as the main cuvée (75% Grenache, 15% Syrah and the rest a mix of other permitted red varieties), but it includes more old-vine Grenache. … a slightly bigger, richer wine, loaded with black cherries and dried spices. October 2023

Vinous · Nicolas Greinacher

92 Points

The 2020 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes is a treat. This wine is introduced by up-front cooked red and black fruits, licorice and spice box aromas. Layered and full-bodied, it is framed by smooth tannins and closes with a bold finish. This 2020 red has all the ingredients for extended bottle aging. Drink 2024 - 2036 June 2023

Blend	Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Vaccarèse, Muscardin
Vines	50-100 years old, in and around Le Crau
Soil	Clay limestone, galets
Aging	Grenache 12 months in concrete, the rest 12 months in French oak
Production	900 cases made, 670 imported