2005 VIEILLE JULIENNE 2005

(10-2007)
The exquisite, deep purple-colored 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape boasts an exceptional bouquet of black currants, creosote, kirsch, spring flowers, pepper, and tobacco leaves. It is fabulously rich, expansive, glorious pure, full-bodied, long, and deep. Sweetness from high glycerin and rich fruit nearly conceals some formidable tannins in the finish. This wine should evolve and last for over two decades.

Over the last decade, Jean-Paul Daumen, the proprietor, winemaker, and Mr. Everything at Vieille Julienne, has emerged as one of France’s most compelling wine producers. Taking advantage of the ancient vines his family owns in the northern sector of Chateauneuf du Pape, and biodynamically farming the entire vineyard, he has produced extraordinary wines since 1998. Daumen’s winemaking philosophy is remarkably simple – old vines, tiny yields of around 20 hectoliters per hectare, no SO2 during vinification, aging in neutral tanks or wood, and bottling without fining or filtration. The results are wines of extraordinary purity, and naked expressions of terroir as well as the personality of the vintage. I can not recommend these wines highly enough. Sadly, as with most of the world’s most majestic wines, production is relatively limited, and the demand is insatiable.