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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 90.7 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 230 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Alok Kapoor on 12/26/2023 & rated 93 points: Started weak even after two hours…. But by 4-5 hours in was fantastic. (642 views) | | | Tasted by Winance Tom on 5/11/2023 & rated 89 points: Bit of a disappointment , expected a tastier wine, perhaps cellared too long or my taste buds were wonky. (1159 views) | | | Tasted by tomlee on 4/10/2022 & rated 93 points: Crimson in color with some bricking at the edge of the glass. 14% ABV. Classic nose of red fruits, garrigue, herbes de Provence and iron. Medium body with exquisite acidity. Perfect balance of fruit and tannins. Kirsch, plums, blood and cracked black pepper on the palate. Exceptional length on the finish. The last of six bottles bought long ago and from memory this was the best. Traditional CdP from a great producer in an under appreciated vintage. Best over the next several years. (2326 views) | | | Tasted by kris.h on 3/12/2022 & rated 92 points: Showing a little age in the color. Garrigue, berries, etc on the nose. Medium body with good tannin and acidity. Lovely bottle that will age gracefully for several more years. (2210 views) | | | Tasted by SadEdjo on 2/19/2022 & rated 90 points: Like-new cork. Dark colour, with little/no bricking; Obviously mature, dark, meaty, broody entry and long finish. Drink up (2230 views) | | | Tasted by Get Real on 2/8/2021 & rated 90 points: Still in great condition. Lots of savoury earthy flavours, smooth tannins, still some fruit there. (2839 views) | | | Tasted by ARiverofPisoni on 11/16/2020 & rated 92 points: Ruby red, plenty of life left on this one. Nicely balanced. (2529 views) | | | Tasted by tomlee on 9/3/2020 & rated 92 points: Ruby red in color. 14% ABV. Soaring nose of red fruits, garrigue, wet pavement and licorice. Medium body with exquisite acidity. Fresh, charming and traditional through and through. Kirsch, plums, blood and roasted herbs on the palate. Medium length on the finish with ever so present tannins. Really well made CdP that exceeded expectations. In fact this wine was markedly better than a bottle I had several years ago. Well stored bottles will make it to twenty years of age but there is also no reason to wait. (2228 views) | | | Tasted by Nmilau on 8/25/2020 & rated 93 points: Exceeded expectations. At first the nose had a funk like a right bank Bordeaux but when it got some air in a carafe after an hour or so it tasted like a perfectly aged Pauillac. Nicely integrated.
Tobacco, cigar box and densely packed fig (2116 views) | | | Tasted by David J Cooper on 1/27/2020 flawed bottle: A quick sniff on opening seemed ok, but after some time in the decanter this turned nasty. Roasted fruit, heat and old style Soy sauce. (2731 views) | | | Tasted by Neecies on 1/19/2020 flawed bottle: Pure soy sauce; DOA. (1886 views) | | | Tasted by rocknroller on 1/18/2020 & rated 93 points: Medium dark red color. PNP, opened for dinner and split bottle over 4 hours. We were really in the mood for a CdP with the cold and wind bristling, so we opened this to drink with my slow cooked chicken thighs with baby bellas. What a wonderful pairing and this was in a great place. This is why I fell in love with CdP to begin with: old school school elegance, mid-weight body with classical CdP character. Oh, if they were all still like this. This has a captivating nose, baked cherry, lots of garrigue and Provenal herbs and spice. The floral notes really hit the upper register with roses, violets, and sandalwood. The palate shows all that and more with great spices, garrigue, sappy red berries and red cherry notes on a long earthy, tongue tingling finish that speaks to the soul of place. This certainly looks to be at peak, but I wouldn't have any worries for at least 5 years. Loved it. 93+ to 94pts. (1941 views) | | | Tasted by Squirreljam on 12/14/2019: Good wine, not great but perhaps it’s this bottle. After the pop, nice color with moderate bricking. Nose evolved quite a bit over a couple hours: flat at first, then expressive with fruit and pie spices and finally plummy and flat after a couple hours. Smooth on the palate, there’s still tart acidity/juiciness. Length moderate. Felt older than it actually is. (1706 views) | | | Tasted by David J Cooper on 7/31/2019 & rated 92 points: Clear medium red with some browning and clear edges. Medium intense nose, showing funk, pepper and dark berry fruit. Dry earthy berry flavours with a bit of smoked meat on the finish. The finish was still a bit tannic.
This has aged very well, much to my surprise. (1957 views) | | | Tasted by paulst on 7/5/2019 & rated 93 points: Well knit; earthy, raspberry-cherry-raisen; balanced with integrated tannin; long finish. (1822 views) | | | Tasted by 100pp on 10/11/2018 & rated 93 points: It looks like my previous bottle had a flaw. This one was delicious, opened up much faster and was still very lively. Regretfully the last one. (2589 views) | | | Tasted by CES911 on 7/27/2018 & rated 93 points: Opened and drank. Soft age on it with a long finish. Drinking beautifully and paired well with fish and meat. (2923 views) | | | Tasted by Sievvy on 6/30/2018 & rated 93 points: Wow, what a lovely ChdPape. Now drinking reasonably well but will age more. Tannins pretty much rounded out and exhibits a long full velvety finish. Has hints of leather, blackcurrent, tobacco and had a sort of chewy texture. Classic example of this appellation. (3016 views) | | | Tasted by chitowncdpguy on 2/10/2018: Gorgeous. Rich strong red berry fruit, spicy, slightly tart, maybe some tobacco hints. Everything is well balanced, and is nice and mellow. Long finish. (3129 views) | | | Tasted by mhudes on 11/23/2017 & rated 92 points: Brought for Thanksgiving dinner with family in Bend. Opened 90 minutes before dinner. Dark red in color. Cedar, leather and dark fruit in the nose. On the palate we have blackberries, dark plums, roasted meats, with some pepper and other spices and herbs tingling the tongue. A very nice finish. Even though opened prior to dine. got better over time. Went well with many of the varied Thanksgiving dishes. (3321 views) | | | Tasted by JohnSh on 11/23/2017 & rated 93 points: This was drinking extremely well last night. A beautiful nose of leather and earthy red fruits started things off. There was great balance to this traditional styled CDP, and rather elegant, medium bodied flavours of plums, cherries, earth, leather and iron.This is great now, but there's no rush (A-). (2705 views) | | | Tasted by 100pp on 11/15/2017 & rated 88 points: Barnyard. Barnyard. Barnyard. Decanting and leaving it alone for a while helps a bit. (2379 views) | | | Tasted by Nutty08 on 2/24/2017 & rated 93 points: Really, nice mature CdP with spice sandalwood nose. Red fruited palate, kirsch and Christmas cake mixed in. Lengthy sandalwood finish. Quite fresh but still mature for me. (4388 views) | | | Tasted by Chef B on 1/28/2017: Total dead spot. Need to wait years before trying again.
Gritty, closed and lifeless. But I hope there's beauty in there like you all say! See you in 2020. (3823 views) | | | Tasted by Sweet Nancy on 1/13/2017: Raspberry and currant fruit followed by a nice acidic backbone. Long finish. (3917 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Julia Harding, MW
JancisRobinson.com (3/17/2009)
(Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jeb Dunnuck
JebDunnuck.com, Bonus Reviews (12/10/2007)
(Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Jeb Dunnuck
JebDunnuck.com, Bonus Reviews (3/30/2007)
(Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Josh Raynolds
Vinous, January/February 2007, IWC Issue #130
(Le Vieux Donjon Chateauneuf du Pape) Subscribe to see review text. | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (6/10/2006)
(Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape) Rich nose of violets and cherries jubilee; tight but good tart cherry, white pepper palate with a hint of horseradish; medium finish 92 points |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of JancisRobinson.com and JebDunnuck.com and Vinous and RJonWine.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| Le Vieux Donjon Producer website - Read more about Le Vieux Donjon
U.S. Importer (Addt'l Info)
http://www.ultimatewineshop.com 9/2012
Le Vieux Donjon, as it exists today, was created in 1979 with the marriage of Lucien and Marie Jose Michel. Both Lucien and Marie Jose's parents owned vineyards in the region, and those holdings were combined to form Le Vieux Donjon. The domaine covers fourteen hectares of vineyards (all farmed organically), thirteen planted to red grapes and one planted to white. The Michel's holdings are primarily in the North and Northwest of the appellation, but they also have small plots in the Southwest and East. Their most important parcel is Pialons, and the grapes from the 2008 come from that parcel as well as those in Cabrieres, Bois de Boursan, Les Marines and Le Mourre de Gaude. The soils are mainly limestone and clay, and are studded with the famed galets roule, the round, rust-colored stones which were left behind after the retreat of the Alpine glaciers which once covered the region. Now that Lucien Michel has inched his way into retirement, his young daughter, Claire, who did an apprenticeship at Napa's Harlan Estate, is in full control of the winemaking (another example of a woman who has taken charge of a famous estate). Remington Norman in Rhone Renaissance says of Donjon, "The style of the wines is unashamedly, 'traditionelle' – vins de garde with plenty of backbone and muscle to them. However, these are no clumsy blockbusters, but wines with real definition and elegance underneath powerful exteriors…These are well-constituted wines with great depth and extract, which manage to retain finesse." The secret to the success of Le Vieux Donjon is really no secret at all. They have tremendously old vines (many in excess of 80 years of age) and they are experts at picking only once the grapes have achieved optimum ripeness.Red Rhone Blend Read about the different grapes used to produce red and white Rhone wines
On CellarTracker, Red Rhone Blend is the term for a wine consisting of two or more of the traditional 13 Southern Rhone grape varieties. Typically it's the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre or Cinsault grapes, but can also contain the Muscardin, Counoise, Clairette, Bourboulenc, Picpoul, Roussanne, Terret Noir, Picardan or Vaccarese grapes.
A 'food' wine. Lacking pretension and intended for local consumption with local cuisine. Lacks the 'high' notes on a Bordeaux, more earthy and sharper so often a better partner to meat dishes with a sauce. France Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comRhône Guide to the wines, wineries and appellations in the Rhone Valley The Rhône Valley/Le Vins de la Vallée du Rhône (Comité Interprofession des vins AOC Côtes et vallée du Rhône)
### Wine Scholar Guild's Rhône valley vintage charts & ratings ###Southern Rhône Guide to the wines, wineries and appellations in the Southern Rhone Valley
Châteauneuf-du-Pape Châteauneuf-du-Pape Appellation - Read more about Chateauneuf du Pape
Another site on this appellation
Vineyards on weinlagen-info
"As I have written many times in the past, the sweet spot for drinking Châteauneuf du Papes is usually the first 5-6 years after the vintage. Then they seem to go through an adolescent, awkward, and sometimes dormant stage, only to re-emerge around year 10-12, where the majority of wines are often fully mature. The best of them will continue to hold on to life (but rarely improving) beyond 15-20 years. It is only the exceptional Châteauneuf du Papes that will evolve for 20-25+ years, and those are indeed a rarity. However, things may be improving dramatically in terms of the longevity of Châteauneuf du Pape, although Grenache-dominated wines, the vast majority of wines produced in the appellation, are wines that do not have the polyphenol (extract and tannin) content of top Cabernet Sauvignons, Merlots, or Syrah-based wines. Nevertheless, the younger generation in Châteauneuf du Pape has taken seriously the farming in the vineyards. There are more organic and biodynamically run vineyards here than in any other appellation of France. The yields, which were already low, are even lower today (20-35 hectoliters per hectare), and of course, the proliferation of top luxury and/or old-vine cuvées gives a significant boost to the number of wines that will evolve past 25 or 30 years. The advantage of these wines is their broad window of drinkability." - Robert Parker
Vintage Chart 1978 to Today
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