Rating:
93
Wine Spectator
"Shows the mix of both raisin and damson plum fruit that is the hallmark of the vintage, but this has better density and even more ripeness than most, with linzer torte, blackberry and sweet spice notes filling in the core and ample grip holding sway on the finish. Impressive for the vintage. Best from 2014 through 2027. 1,900 cases made. -JM" (2012)
Product Description:
Wine:
"60% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre, 10% Counoise, 5% Cinsault. Some parcels of the Grenache are over 100 years old, 40% of the vineyards are 80-90 years old. Before fermentation, the grapes are 100% de-stemmed, followed by alcoholic fermentation in temperature controlled cement tanks with no sulfur added. The wine is aged in large foudres for 1-3 years. Production is approximately 2,000 cases." -Importer
Winery:
"From southern Rhone, Domaine de la Vieille Julienne is no stranger to many a vintner's coveted success. In 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2006, Robert Parker awarded 100 points to Jean-Paul Daumen's Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve. But in 2007 when Jean-Paul tasted the Reserve, he was not impressed. He decided against bottling it because in his mind, the wine wasn't much different from that of the other parcels."
"Working with 10ha in the northern part of the appellation Chateauneuf du Pape, and with 5ha in Cotes du Rhone, Jean-Paul took over the family vineyards in 1990. In 1905, his ancestors purchased the property and sold solely to negociants, while bottling for family and friends. It wasn't until the 1960's that his father started bottling with greater intent, thereby providing Jean-Paul with the foundational knowledge that it took for him to develop his award winning wines."
"When Jean-Paul took over the estate in 1990, he began working towards organic certification while practicing biodynamics in the vineyard. Inspired by the expression of terroir, Jean-Paul knows that wines taste best when naturally produced. Favoring wild yeasts and neutral woods, Daumen is a man of manual labor, who hand harvests his 100+ year old vines, punches down caps, and controls temperatures not with the aid of a computer system, but by checking the temperatures of tanks by hand, and regulating with "drapes"-- the aluminum piping that carries hot or cold water to heat or cool the tanks. Adhering not to syndicate mandates, Daumen eschews the two syndicate bottle designs for Chateauneuf du Pape - the embossed papal cap and the keys and crest." -Importer
This was also rated 89 points by Robert Parker.
