2018 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Community Tasting Notes (32) Avg Score: 91.9 points

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  3/28/2024 - BernieMSY wrote: flawed

  Full of rubbery reductive notes. Slightly better on day two, but still unpleasant. This is the 3rd or 4th “off” bottle I have had across three different recent vintages. I’m not sure if they changed some of their production techniques or are using bad corks. Perhaps the blend has changed drastically. In any case, this is another disappointing, unpleasant wine to drink. I hope this is some sort of aberration because I’ve always loved Vieux Donjon, and I’d hate to see it go downhill.

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  3/15/2024 - hkbob Likes this wine: 94 Points

  Fragrant floral and red-fruit notes with Mediterranean herbs and a hint of iodine making an appearance. Showing quite young still with some mouth-watering acidity and good length. The palate came around with a couple of hours of air although it lost a bit on the nose. I believe bottles will benefit from a few more years in the cellar.

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  1/29/2024 - Lma1969 wrote: 93 Points

  A little over the top at this early stage. Very fruit forward and with lots of red cherry. It's more new world than I've experienced from this house. It mellowed over the course of the evening. It's the first bottle of a case and it has alot of promise but I think I'll wait at least a year before I open another.

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  1/28/2024 - Incurable_Botrytis Likes this wine: 91 Points

  Rich mouthfeel, muted fruit, tannin and acid in nice balance, a bit of a musty flavor, might be described as a little funk, almost like the smell of an old book. Hint of black pepper on the back. A nice high quality wine, better with 3+ hours of air at this stage.

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  9/12/2023 - Motz wrote: 92 Points

  Fine typicity.
  
  Leaning modern in terms of high-pitched red fruit and berry appeal and also showing excessive heat. There might have been a stylistic shift in recent vintages, away from the middle-of-the-road rusticity that carried the house across vintages. Previous vintages tended to need a long while to reveal their finest qualities. Recent vintages seem to beg to be consumed within ten to twelve years of vintage date, which is the case with this offering.
  
  Technically excellent...yet lacking the terroir driven substance and grip that I appreciate from this house.

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