2016 Domaine de la Vieille Julienne Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve

The color is deep, purple blue. It\'s almost opaque. The wine is off the charts. There is a beautiful purity of fruit. The melange of fruits runs from black to deep red. The wine is mouth coating. But it is also light on its feet. The finish is seamless, remaining with you for close to 60 seconds. This is another contender for the wine of the vintage, and that\'s really saying something, considering how many stunning wines were produced this year. The wine is usually made from 90% Grenache, 5% Syrah and 5% Mourvedre. Only 250 cases were produced of this stunner. So, if this seems like your thing, run, do not walk to the store and grab a few bottles. 100 Points

A modern-day legend in the making is the 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve from Jean-Paul Daumen, one of the greatest young wines I’ve ever tasted. This Grenache-dominated effort was brought up all in foudre and tastes like the essence of this incredible terroir located on the northern edge of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Deep purple-colored, with an intoxicating bouquet of black raspberries, crushed herbs, black licorice, spring flowers, and spice, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a deep, multi-dimensional texture, a huge mid-palate, and a finish that goes on for over a minute. Not far off the style of the Les Trois Sources, yet with another level of concentration, it has a certain accessibility yet won’t be at its best for another 4-5 years, but it will keep for another two decades or more. 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!

Vivid ruby. Red fruit preserves, potpourri and exotic spices on the powerfully scented nose, which is lifted by a vibrant mineral overtone. Concentrated yet energetic in style, showing outstanding clarity and depth to the raspberry, bitter cherry, spicecake and lavender flavors. This wine's interplay of weight and finesse is quite something. Becomes sweeter on the subtly tannic finish, which shows impressive focus and lingering florality.