Châteauneuf du Pape Réserve 2006 75cl

The same can be said about the 2006 Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve and it offers incredible cassis, toasted bread, bouquet garni and earth aromas and flavors to go with full-bodied richness, incredible concentration and a seamless, thrillingly pure texture that’s hard to believe. It’s easily the greatest wine I’ve tasted from this vintage. <br/><br/>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.<br/><br/>

Sattes Purpur, immer noch mit lila Schimmer. Dichtes Bouquet, Yogurettetouch, also dunkle Schokolade und Himbeermark, bleibt auch nach längerem Fruchtkontakt auf der fruchtigen Seite, ein Hauch von hellen Cigarren, weissem Pfeffer, braucht aber Luft um sich zu offenbaren. Im Gaumen satt, stoffig, wieder viel rote Beeren, aber auch mit Kirschentönen und zartem Honigschimmer, enorm fleischig und konzentriert. Eine richtige Châteauneuf-Essenz mit viel weiterem Potential. Ich habe ihn gut eine Stunde lang verfolgt. Dabei machte er eine richtiggehende «Luftkarriere».

This shows impressive depth and power for the vintage, delivering layer upon layer of mulled spice, crushed currant and plum fruit, with anise, tobacco, graphite and violet notes, all of which stretch out through the long, racy, sweet earth-filled finish. This domaine is quietly producing some awesome wines. Drink now through 2024. 230 cases made. –JM