Clos Saint Jean's unique 'Deus Ex Machina' (Latin for "God Out of the Machine") bottling is a Grenache and Mouvedre blend that marks the current era of the estate (from 2003) when they veered away from classic wines to custodians of pure fruit expressions.

Deus Ex Machina is as tannic as the Clos Saint Jean wines get. This powerful structure, comes partially from the clay-soil-grown Grenache (60%) and then a whopping 40% Mouvedre.

All Clos Saint Jean wines are fermented separately with the Grenache spending nine months of maturation in concrete tanks. The Mouvedre spends nine months in new oak.

The 2018 wines in Chateauneuf du Pape are excellent. The growing season was a hot, dry summer with cool nights preserving freshness and bold fruitiness. This wine, however, is powerful and is not going to let the fruit overcome its bold structural integrity.

Other critics:  97 points, Joe Czerwinski (Wine Advocate); 96-98 points, Jeb Dunnock.