About the producer
Despite our already large portfolio of Châteauneuf estates, we did not hesitate when we had the opportunity to add Jean Paul Daumen’s wines to our list! These are very serious offerings, possessing a class so coveted by many other producers. With 10 hectares of vines located in the very northern part of Châteauneuf du Pape (Le Grès) and 5 hectares of Côtes du Rhône on the lieudit ‘Clavin’, Jean Paul’s wines are never crafted in the blockbuster style favoured by so many others during the past decade. Vieille Julienne’s wines are completely unique and hugely sought after!
This family owned estate has been in the hands of the Daumen clan since 1905. Jean Paul took over from his father in 1990 – the subsequent rise in quality of wine from this domaine has been outstanding. There are now 32 hectares of vineyards with an average age of the vines at around 50 years. Many are planted following a strict selection massale.
Jean Paul’s philosophy is “that the vine and the soil are the essentials”. He has therefore chosen a fully ecological viticultural approach. He has abandoned all use of chemical fertilisers and only uses sulphur very sparingly.
All grapes are harvested by hand and sorted twice. Only indigenous yeasts are used. Fermentation temperature is monitored and controlled. Wines are gravity fed into barrels, where they age for 12 months after malolactic fermentation has finished. Bottling is carried out with neither fining nor filtration.
Robert Parker Wine Advocate (robertparker.com):
The 2015 Châteauneuf du Pape Les Hauts Lieux comes from a cooler, higher elevation parcel and is 80% Grenache and 20% Mourvèdre. Where the Trois Source cuvée is upfront and exuberant, this beauty offers more minerality as well as lots of ripe blackberry fruits, spice, roasted meats and hints of violets in a concentrated, backwards, tannic style. Forget bottles for 5-6 years and enjoy over the following two decades. (Jeb Dunnuck) Points: 92 - 94+. Issue Date: 28/10/2016Jeb Dunnuck (jebdunnuck.com):
The 2015 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Haut Lieux comes from a higher elevation parcel and includes a decent amount of Mourvèdre. Harvest very late (this is a cooler terroir), it offers impressive notes of cassis, crushed rocked and violets. This square, structured, tannic effort has killer purity of fruit and an incredible elegance, yet needs time. Forget bottles for 4-5 years and enjoy over the following 15+. (Jeb Dunnuck) Points: 94+. Date Tasted: 19/10/2017
Regions Vintage Report:
“A top quality vintage: Rhône lovers will enjoy the ripeness, concentration and telling freshness that has yielded so many wines of fine balance with statuesque tannins. Producers are thrilled that nature has been kind, enabling them to fill their cellars with good volumes of top wines.”2015 In the 30 odd years since I departed my “home” region of France and during my many twice-yearly visits to the Rhône Valley, I have rarely seen so many smiles and happy faces. After some difficult, challenging vintages, with low quantities and demanding climatic conditions, 2015 has delivered good quantities of very high calibre wines. Quantity doesn’t always chime with quality but in 2015, happily, it does; what is more, it looks like 2016 has also produced a decent crop of top wines. The producers’ upbeat mood is therefore fully justified, with their cellars full of some of the best wines produced in many a year. The North The berries had excellent ripeness, whilst not being overripe. 2015 is not a vintage marked by excessive heat. The majority of wines offer excellent concentration, whilst also exhibiting marked finesse and balancing acidity, giving an instant and appetising appeal to the wines. The more affordable wines are fruit-focused and juicy with tannins that are already integrated. They are already very attractive, but will also age beautifully. The real gems, though, are those finest cuvées that marry intensity, complexity and balanced fruit/structure, ensuring great ageing potential. The white wines can also lay claim to a share of the “star-billing” thanks to the fruit having coped admirably during the warm summer months. Most wines rank amongst the very best that I have tasted for many years. The South Following a couple of tricky vintages, the weather in 2015 was much more clement and settled. It may have been pretty hot during the dry summer months, but the arrival of timely rain showers in early September refreshed the grapes, tempering the rate of maturity and allowed the growers to wait until optimum ripening before excessive sugar accumulation. The resulting wines are clearly of marked ripeness, yet they retain excellent balance due to a welcome seam of refreshing acidity and their well-sculpted tannins. The white wines, too, are a great success, helped also by good acidity levels balancing the wonderful ripeness.Christian Honorez, Director November 2016©adVINture 2020
