Le Vieux Donjon Vertical Dinner

With Duck Caillette and Rillettes, Parma Proscuitto, Cornichons and onion jam...

• 2009 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape 86 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Splashed decanted 45min prior to serving. Dark red. Ripe and juicy nose with notes of berries and plums with hints of herbs. Onto the palate this had a soft entry with decent tannins and acidity. There were grapey and dark berry flavours with the overall profile reminding me of an Aussie grenache. This showed a bit of alcohol but wasn’t too much. Easy drinking but I found this to be slightly one-dimensional and nothing to get excited about. Good.

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• 2007 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape 89 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Darker and more youthful looking than the ’09. At first the nose was also darker in profile than the 09 with aromas of dark berry fruit with hints of tarry notes too. After some time in the glass it seemed to open up and become less dark, more red fruited with a nice sweet spice note. This wasn’t as ripe as the ’09 but still had some warmth in the mouth. The longer it sat in the glass the more weight it seemed to put on and there is so much rich fruit here that the tannins and structure get masked. Good acidity and not the overripe and slightly disappointing wine I remembered from a few years ago. Drinking surprisingly well but this this will be a long lived wine and will reward patience. Very good. 89+

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• 2006 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape 89 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Dark red colour. This had the nicest nose of the flight with dark red fruits, spice and hints of development. Not as ripe and less alcohol than the '07 and '09. Medium bodied this showed great balance with a good amount of tannin and acidity. The structure seems more prominent here than the ‘07 but I think that’s because there’s less ripe and rich fruit here and structure is easier to detect. On this night the '06 is giving as much pleasure as the '07 is, but it is clear to me that the ’07 has a lot more potential and will ultimately develop into the better wine. This is drinking quite well now and should go another 5-7 years no problem. Very good. 89+

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With white and green asparagus, creamy demi-glaze with Morel mushrooms, Cervelas de Lyon...

• 2005 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape 91 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Opened and served 2 hours later. Dark red colour. This has the best nose so far. Showing nice development with notes of funk, mushrooms, earth and dark red fruits with a hint of pepper. Lots of structure on the palate with quite a bit of tannin and acidity matched well to the abundance of red and black fruits. There was a little bit of heat coming through on the palate but it wasn’t very intrusive. Was enjoyable to taste now, especially to see how it’s developing, but this has a long life ahead of it. Excellent. 91+

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• 2004 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape 90 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Medium red in colour. Lots of herbal notes on the nose along with red fruits and white pepper aromas. In the mouth this was the freshest and lightest of the wines so far with good balance, high acidity, medium tannins and smooth mouthfeel. Drinking well now but not as good as the previous 3 times that I’ve had it. Excellent.

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• 2003 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape 87 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Medium red colour. This was definitely the outlier in this flight with a very sweet profile on both the nose and palate. The fairly developed nose offered sweet and roasted red fruits with hints of blue fruit. Warm and soft in the mouth with low to medium acidity and decent tannins. This was the most developed of the flight. As it sat in the glass the alcohol seemed to become more prominent. Based on my previous experience with other 03 CdPs, this was better than I thought it would be. It had that delicious factor that reminded me of some Australian wines but this is not something I'd want to drink every day. Not sure how long it will last. Good.

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With Daube de Boeuf, Provencal red wine stew with beef cheecks, seasonal vegetables and fresh pasta...

• 2000 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape 89 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Medium red colour. The nose here has lots of funk going on with dark fruits and hints of meat and pepper. Flavours of dark fruits, slightly stewed, with medium acidity and tannins and good length. This medium bodied wine is clean, smooth and drinking very well now. Should hold but I don’t see this getting any better. Very good.

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• 1999 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape 90 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Lighter in colour than the 2000. Big nose here with lots of poopy notes and along with darker fruits, pepper and funk. Really nice nose. On the palate the dark fruit profile continues with well-balanced structure and enough acid to keep things fresh. Drinking really well right now but still has years of improvement ahead of it. Excellent. 90+

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• 2001 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape 92 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Medium red in colour. The nose on this 01 was just beautiful (and at times reminded me of a Cote Rotie) with floral aromas, white pepper, sweet red fruits, meat and funk. In the mouth this was perfectly balanced with a good dose of everything (fruit, tannin, acidity) and a long, mineral driven finish. This and the ’90 were my WOTN. Great to drink now but this should continue to improve for years to come. Excellent. 92+

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With various cheeses...

• 1998 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Flawed

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Corked.

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• 1995 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape 89 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Medium red, bricking near rim. Nose was nice with dark red fruit with hints of funk but there was also this metallic note coming through that was slightly off-putting. In the mouth this was well balanced although not as refined and smooth as the ’90. Tannins here a little rougher than the ’90. This was really good but being sandwiched between the ’01 and ’90 didn’t help its case. Fully ready to drink and I don’t see much upside in holding further. Very good.

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• 1990 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape 92 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Medium red. Another beautiful nose on this ’90 with notes of funk, plummy fruit, tobacco and pepper. In the mouth it’s partially resolved with the acidity giving an element of freshness to this 22 years old wine. Smooth, balanced and quite polished, this medium bodied Donjon is at peak and ready for primetime drinking. This and the ’01 were my WOTN. Excellent.

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