2003 Domaine de la Vieille Julienne Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve

Community Tasting Notes (20) Avg Score: 95.2 points

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  8/27/2021 - AaronMaxwell Likes this wine: 95 Points

  Still drinking phenomenally well. The acid and structure is holding this wine up. It smells of raisins and is portlike. This is a funky wine with stewed ripe fruit. Drink in the next 10 years if you want it to still have structure. Decant 30+ minutes

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  6/22/2020 - sfwinelover1 wrote: 95 Points

  An evening of CdPs++ with Aaron_Maxwell and Tiffany_Kerry; thank you very much for hosting and opening this extravagant wine! Great TNs on this from A_M and Jeff Leve capture this wine and its evolution. This was a PnP, which at this stage of its life, I'd recommend, although the bottle was mostly open while we consumed it. On the nose, sweet, cherries, bananas, prunes, plums, licorice, caramel and liquer; similar on the palate, although the sweetness is much more contained. Purple-brown with a sherried-orange tinge, medium to full bodied, thick legs. Medium tannins which were silky and mostly present on the back end (perhaps presenting the gravel note A_M noted), light acidity, no heat despite the liquer-esque nose, in some ways more apparent as time went on, and the high abv (16.5%). Complex, persistent and intense. T_K nailed the predominant tasting note: "This tastes like liquid bananas foster!" Perfect contrast with the '09 Pegau, one of the most savory wines I've ever had, this wine has a definite sweetness; having not had it before, I can't say how much of that is the natural properties of the wine and how much, if any, might be early stage oxidation. Under any circumstances, the wine is fascinating and stays just on the right side of cloying. As we were drinking it, mostly with cheese, for which it was a respectable complement, I was wondering how well it could accompany anything other than dessert when A_M brought out some mini steak sandwiches with wagyu ribeye, and this worked surprisingly well with them, helped in part by a very savory cheese, but I still think that, like many higher alcohol wines with a sweetish profile such as zins or amarones, this may be a pairing challenge in many instances. Reiterate my TN with the very different Pegau that, for me, this wine wouldn't/couldn't be an everyday drinker--in this instance vs. the Pegau, on price as well--because the flavor profile is so unique and intense, but it was a real treat last night. If you have this, recommend, as JL and A_M did, drinking it sooner than later. 94-95+

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  6/21/2020 - AaronMaxwell Likes this wine: 96 Points

  Drank tonight with Tiffany_Kerry and sfwinelover1.
  
  Wow, as with the previous bottle, this smells like port but with more herbs. This time, I didn't make the same mistake of giving it too much air, and I was rewarded with a longer life as we poured from the bottle.
  
  This wine is immediately vibrant with exceptional, delicate, juice. It's impossible to have a first sip and not be "wowed". While it may smell like a dessert wine, it will hold up astonishingly well next to a fatty menu -- we paired it later in the evening with Texas wagyu ribeye and cowgirl creamery red hawk on top of Tartine country bread.
  
  This wine yields expressive caramel and richness throughout. It's not purple, but brown or caramel in color. This time I didn't decant it, and the sediment poured out liberally in our final glasses.
  
  This wine is unlikely to get better, being so high in alcohol and at its peak expressiveness. I recommend you drink it now if you find it.
  
  edit: after reading our previous note, we find the charred bananas comment to hold true :) This would pair excitingly well with a savory dessert.

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  5/29/2020 - AaronMaxwell Likes this wine: 94 Points

  From afar, this has a distinct Garnett color. More brown than red. Then when it gets close, it smells like plums, dried dates and figs, like an aged port. When you sip it, you get this complete envelope of mushroom and earthy, organic feel. The finish is very long.
  
  This is a very complex wine. It lingers with berries and spices and anise. The cherry and vanilla sit on your tongue as it’s gone.
  
  Tannins are medium-strong, but not as much as a Napa cab. This is delightful.
  
  After tasting, with more reading on this wine, we find these to be true: wet gravel, butter on the nose...
  
  More: charred bananas, vanilla beans, elevating bell pepper.

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  1/11/2020 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points

  Clearly at full maturity, the wine offers depth of flavor, richness and layers of ripe, dark red fruit, with only a minor touch of fig accompanying the kirsch. Long, complex and at probably slightly past its peak, if you own any, you should drink them over the new few years as I fear, the wine will continue taking on more fig, and chocolate overtones.

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