2009 Domaine de la Vieille Julienne Châteauneuf-du-Pape Tradition
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The 2009 Châteauneuf Du Pape from Vieille Julienne is a classic, mature expression with a complex bouquet of sandalwood, leather, herbes de Provence, and spice. This vintage was fully destemmed, though they now retain some stems in the fermentations. It also predates the introduction of their single-vineyard cuvées in 2011 and comes from a mix of the parcels now used in those wines. Medium to full-bodied, nicely concentrated, and showing outstanding balance, it benefits from air and delivers a satisfying, slightly old-school style to enjoy over the next 5 to 7 years. Drink: 2025-2030.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Josh Raynolds
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Starting with the 2009, it is a beautiful Chateauneuf du Pape that shows surprising elegance and polish in the vintage. Black cherries, licorice, violets and ample underbrush aromas and flavors show in this full-bodied, seriously textured effort. Drink it anytime over the coming decade or more. One of my favorite producers, Vieille Julienne is run by the brilliant Jean-Paul Daumen. Coming all from a cool, mostly sandy terroir located in the northern part of the appellation, these traditionally made wines possess singular characters that have both richness and depth on the palate, as well as notable elegance and freshness. They epitomize this tiny terroir and are more Vieille Julienne than they are Chateauneuf du Pape. For this tasting, we focused on his traditional Chateauneuf (which is now broken up into two cuvees, the Trois Sources and the Hauts Lieux) and his Reserve bottling, which is produced only when this tiny plot of vines offers something unique to say. Looking first at Jean-Paul’s traditional Chateauneuf (made up until 2009), it is always a rough blend of close to 90% Grenache, with smaller components of Syrah, Mourvedre, Counoise and Cinsault. Completely destemmed, it’s aged in older foudre and never sees any new wood. While it comes from a cooler terroir in the northern part of the appellation (and Jean-Paul favors harvesting on the earlier side), it never lacks for richness and is a concentrated, structured effort that benefits from cellar time. Moving to the Reserve bottling, this cuvee comes from a single plot of 100+-year-old vines, planted in what looks like pure beach sand. It’s also slightly more Grenache dominated than the classic cuvee, with the blend containing 90-95% Grenache and the balance Cinsault and Syrah. It too is completely destemmed and aged all in older foudres. First made in 1994, it’s only produced when Jean-Paul feels that the plot has something special to say. Available in the U.S. through Vin Connect Inc., Tel. (415) 857-5740; www.vinconnect.com
Vivid ruby. Powerful aromas of black and blue fruits, lavender and Indian spices, with an exotic touch of apricot. Deeply pitched blackberry and blueberry flavors show excellent concentration and vibrancy. Finishes sweet and seamless, with the blackberry and floral notes repeating.