Domaine de la Vieille Julienne Chateauneuf-du-Pape Reserve 2019

Jean-Paul Daumen's ancestors purchased this domain in 1905. Back then the entire production was sold to negociants. Starting in the 1960s a small amount of wine was bottled, mostly for family and friends. Jean Paul's father Maxime Daumen built cellars with new foudres to make and bottle more wine. Over the past decade Jean-Paul has emerged as one of the most compelling winemakers in all of France. Taking advantage of his ancient vines in the northern sector of Chateauneuf du Pape, and biodynamically farming the entire vineyard, he has produced extraordinary wines since 1998 that have received massive acclaim from the world's most respected critics. The domaine covers 30 hectares of vineyard that average over 60 years old. The parcels of Grenache that go into the Reserve bottling of Chateauneuf du Pape are over 100 years old. Jean-Paul's winemaking philosophy is quite simple - old vines, tiny yields of around 20 hl/ha, no SO2 during vinification, aging in neutral tanks or wood, and bottling without fining or filtering. Chateauneuf du Papes have come and gone. These wines are truly gems and benchmarks of the appellation. Domaine de la Vieille Julienne's wines are not released until Jean-Paul feels they are approaching their peak. This means that his wines age in the cellar and come into the market years after most other Chateauneuf du Papes have come and gone.