2000 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes

A real Wow bottle of wine, the 2000 Domaine de la Janasse Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes is just packed with deep, rich and fresh aromas of blackberry, licorice, meat juice, smoke and graphite. I was literally swooning over the aromatics on the second day and the wine is full bodied with awesome purity, precision and balance. Still very young, this has a long life ahead of it.

The limited production Cuvee Vieilles Vignes (70% Grenache and 30% Syrah and Mourvedre) was rocking when I tasted it. The 2000 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Vieilles Vignes represents the essence of kirsch liqueur intermixed with pepper. Sexy, full-bodied, layered, and multidimensional, it exhibits great intensity, even more length than the Chaupin, sweet fruit, adequate acidity, and ripe tannin. This is a flawless as well as seamless blockbuster to drink now and over the next 15-20 years. Robert Parker, Wine Advocate # 145 Feb 2003

The 2000 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes is even better, with another layer of texture and depth. Chocolate-laced fruits, cured meats, spice, crushed rock and sweet spice all show from this perfumed, up-front, sweetly fruited Chateauneuf, and it still has a core of concentrated fruit and solid tannin structure. I see no reason to hold off, but it too will thrill over the coming 3-5 years. ||One of the benchmark estates in the Rhone Valley, Domaine de la Janasse is run by the talented brother/sister pair of Christophe and Isabelle Sabon. Located in the northeastern portion of the region, near Courthezon, they produce an incredible range of wines, from their Vin de Pays, to their Cotes du Rones and world-class Chateauneuf du Papes, all of which are noteworthy. For this tasting, we started with the 1990s and went up through their 2007s. At this point, the ‘98s through the 2004s are all in varying degrees of full maturity, and drinking brilliantly. In addition, it’s also worth pointing out that these wines have the fruit and texture to dish out immense pleasure in their youth, so don’t be afraid to crack these new releases either. Both of the 1999s were drinking beautifully, and are up near the top of the vintage. Moving to the 2000s, I found that from this point forward, the wines started to show more freshness and vibrancy. Looking specifically at this vintage, these are still mature wines, yet they’re drinking beautifully. eRobertParker.com.August, 2014