2017 Chateauneuf du Pape

The 2017 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Saint Francois is a new cuvée that comes from a newly purchased parcel of vines located in the heart of Jean-Paul’s estate, next to the Les Trois Sources vines. Jean-Paul vinified this vintage but didn’t have control of the farming, so he’s opted to bottle this wine on its own as an educational experiment to understand the new vines. This will be moved into the Les Trois Sources cuvée at some point in the future. This 2017 is unquestionably an outstanding wine and has classic black licorice and violet characteristics (which is what I think of as the hallmark of this estate) as well as beautiful dark fruits and a gravely minerality. Medium to full-bodied, textured, and structured, it should keep for 10-15 years. Vieille Julienne’s Jean-Paul Daumen is unquestionably one of the most talented winemakers in all of France. Since taking over the domaine in 1990, the estate has gone from strength to strength, and the list of truly extraordinary wines from this small terroir located on the northern edge of Châteauneuf-du-Pape is mind-boggling. And there are no secrets; Jean-Paul focuses first and foremost on his vineyards, which are all farmed organically and sustainably, minuscule yields, no SO2 during vinification, aging in neutral foudres and tank, and bottling unfined and unfiltered. The result is a naked, raw expression of this magical terroir and old vines. Speaking about the 2016 vintage, Jean-Paul called it an enormous vintage, comparing it to 2001 yet with a style all its own, and commented that the wines were powerful yet also delicate. I can’t disagree, and the Châteauneuf-du-Papes across the board are monumental wines. You don’t have to splurge for the Reserve cuvée either, since the Les Trois Sources and Haut-Lieux releases are both extraordinary wines. I’ve also included the Daumen releases here, which can be thought of as super-negociant wines where Jean-Paul is directly involved with all aspects of the vineyards and winemaking. In short, there are few wines I’d rather have on my table than those from Jean-Paul Daumen!