2005 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc Clos des Pape

The most masculine and structured of the group, the 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape is locked and loaded, with serious concentration, big tannin and no shortage of length on the finish. Coming from a year that featured a cool summer and then scorching temps around harvest, this beauty doles out loads of creme de cassis, licorice, graphite and crushed rock-like minerality, as well as a seamless, perfectly balanced profile. Give it another 2-3 years and drink it through 2025. One of my favorite producers, Vieille Julienne is run by the brilliant Jean-Paul Daumen. Coming all from a cool, mostly sandy terroir located in the northern part of the appellation, these traditionally made wines possess singular characters that have both richness and depth on the palate, as well as notable elegance and freshness. They epitomize this tiny terroir and are more Vieille Julienne than they are Chateauneuf du Pape. For this tasting, we focused on his traditional Chateauneuf (which is now broken up into two cuvees, the Trois Sources and the Hauts Lieux) and his Reserve bottling, which is produced only when this tiny plot of vines offers something unique to say. Looking first at Jean-Paul’s traditional Chateauneuf (made up until 2009), it is always a rough blend of close to 90% Grenache, with smaller components of Syrah, Mourvedre, Counoise and Cinsault. Completely destemmed, it’s aged in older foudre and never sees any new wood. While it comes from a cooler terroir in the northern part of the appellation (and Jean-Paul favors harvesting on the earlier side), it never lacks for richness and is a concentrated, structured effort that benefits from cellar time. Moving to the Reserve bottling, this cuvee comes from a single plot of 100+-year-old vines, planted in what looks like pure beach sand. It’s also slightly more Grenache dominated than the classic cuvee, with the blend containing 90-95% Grenache and the balance Cinsault and Syrah. It too is completely destemmed and aged all in older foudres. First made in 1994, it’s only produced when Jean-Paul feels that the plot has something special to say. Available in the U.S. through Vin Connect Inc., Tel. (415) 857-5740; www.vinconnect.com

Taking the better part of the evening to open up, the 2005 Domaine de la Vieille Julienne Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a brilliant wine that needs another 2-3 years of bottle age to really show all it has. Still inky and purple to the rim, this beauty shows fresh, clean aromatics of licorice-laced plum and blackberry styled fruit that’s intermixed with notions of graphite, mineral, and crushed flowers. Full-bodied, dense, and structured on the palate, with edgy acidity, ripe tannin, and a mineral-drenched finish, this gorgeous Châteauneuf-du-Pape should be given another 3-4 years of bottle age, and then consumed over the following decade.

Inky ruby. Ripe, powerful boysenberry and blueberry aromas are deepened by musky tobacco and dark chocolate. Weighty dark berry flavors verge on thick; initially brooding but brightens with air, picking up an energetic, stony character. Red fruits build on a long, sappy finish. A serious style, and not for those who demand elegance.