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2003 Domaine de la Vieille Julienne Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rhône France Wine Tasting Note

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2003
Domaine de la Vieille Julienne Reserve  (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
96
Clearly at full maturity, the wine offers depth of flavor, richness and layers of ripe, dark red fruit, with only a minor touch of fig accompanying the kirsch. Long, complex and at probably slightly past its peak, if you own any, you should drink them over the new few years as I fear, the wine will continue taking on more fig, and chocolate overtones.

Clearly at full maturity, the wine offers depth of flavor, richness and layers of ripe, dark red fruit, with only a minor touch of fig accompanying the kirsch. Long, complex and at probably slightly past its peak, if you own any, you should drink them over the new few years as I fear, the wine will continue taking on more fig, and chocolate overtones.

3,747 Views   Tasted
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Pure, sweet, luscious, sensuous, sexy cherries for days, with hints of licorice, garrigue, pepper and earth. The wine feels as good as it tastes. Not decanted, just popped, poured and devoured.

Pure, sweet, luscious, sensuous, sexy cherries for days, with hints of licorice, garrigue, pepper and earth. The wine feels as good as it tastes. Not decanted, just popped, poured and devoured.

4,273 Views   Tasted
Does mind boggling juice go far enough, for a tasting note? Perhaps it should. Because this is more than stunning! Layer after layer of intense, powerful, ripe, sweet, luscious, rich, dark red fruits coat your mouth, teeth, gums and palate with flavor. There is real intensity here, but balance, harmony, complexity and a finish that sticks with you for close to 50 seconds! This is hard to find, as the production is about 150 cases or so, but it is worth the effort as this is a stunner!!! The wine was decanted about 30 minutes, or a bit longer.

Does mind boggling juice go far enough, for a tasting note? Perhaps it should. Because this is more than stunning! Layer after layer of intense, powerful, ripe, sweet, luscious, rich, dark red fruits coat your mouth, teeth, gums and palate with flavor. There is real intensity here, but balance, harmony, complexity and a finish that sticks with you for close to 50 seconds! This is hard to find, as the production is about 150 cases or so, but it is worth the effort as this is a stunner!!! The wine was decanted about 30 minutes, or a bit longer.

5,324 Views   Tasted
This is stunning! Perfectly balancing power and elegance, the fruit shows a beautiful sense of purity, the textures are soft and silky and the finish, with its pure kirsch essence goes on and on. There is no sensation of heat or over ripeness, which is difficult in the 2003 vintage. Something else to consider, believe it or not, except I promise this is true, about 25% of the wine remained in the bottle, which was recorked, but left on the bar top. 24 hours later, this was still absolutely delicious! I was amazed and happy to know I still had a few bottles of this stunner in my cellar.

This is stunning! Perfectly balancing power and elegance, the fruit shows a beautiful sense of purity, the textures are soft and silky and the finish, with its pure kirsch essence goes on and on. There is no sensation of heat or over ripeness, which is difficult in the 2003 vintage. Something else to consider, believe it or not, except I promise this is true, about 25% of the wine remained in the bottle, which was recorked, but left on the bar top. 24 hours later, this was still absolutely delicious! I was amazed and happy to know I still had a few bottles of this stunner in my cellar.

5,677 Views   Tasted
Intense kirsch, garrigue, earth and spice notes create the intoxicating aromatic palate. Concentrated, long, deep and intense, with silky tannins and no sensation of heat, this is a great bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape.

Intense kirsch, garrigue, earth and spice notes create the intoxicating aromatic palate. Concentrated, long, deep and intense, with silky tannins and no sensation of heat, this is a great bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape.

3,633 Views   Tasted
Deep in color, with kirsch, cherry griotte, garrigue, pepper, black raspberry jam and stone in the nose, this concentrated, rich. fleshy, ripe Chateauneuf du Pape was made from yields of only 12 hectoliters per hectare! You can taste and feel the levels of depth and richness. There is a lot of intensity to be found. With not much air, the wine was still holding a lot in reserve. I'd give it a few more years or an hour in the decanter. With some additional bottle age, I imagine the wine should score higher. Even though the wine is 16.5% ABV, there is no sensation of heat, or too much jam in the flavors or finish.

Deep in color, with kirsch, cherry griotte, garrigue, pepper, black raspberry jam and stone in the nose, this concentrated, rich. fleshy, ripe Chateauneuf du Pape was made from yields of only 12 hectoliters per hectare! You can taste and feel the levels of depth and richness. There is a lot of intensity to be found. With not much air, the wine was still holding a lot in reserve. I'd give it a few more years or an hour in the decanter. With some additional bottle age, I imagine the wine should score higher. Even though the wine is 16.5% ABV, there is no sensation of heat, or too much jam in the flavors or finish.

3,383 Views   Tasted
Jammy red berries, spice, pepper, fennel, kirsch liqueur aromas, thick, rich and intense, this ripe, jammy, ABVic, voluptuous Chateauneuf du Pape is not for the timid!

Jammy red berries, spice, pepper, fennel, kirsch liqueur aromas, thick, rich and intense, this ripe, jammy, ABVic, voluptuous Chateauneuf du Pape is not for the timid!

3,300 Views   Tasted

When to Drink Vieille Julienne, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time

Vieille Julienne is a wine that is much better wine some age. Young vintages can be decanted for about 1 -3 hours, give or take. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment.

Vieille Julienne is usually better with 4-7 years of bottle age. Of course, that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage. In the best vintages, the wine should be consumed within 5-25 years after the vintage.

Serving Domaine de la Vieille Julienne with Wine, Food Pairing Tips

Domaine de la Vieille Julienne is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift.

Domaine de la Vieille Julienne is best served with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, stewed dishes, barbecue, sausage, and cassoulet. Domaine de la Vieille Julienne is also good with Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, mushrooms pasta, eggplant, tomatoes, and cheese.

In 2005, Vieille Julienne produced a special, one-off bottling to celebrate the 100th birthday of the Domaine. The wine, produced from their oldest Grenache vines in Cotes du Rhone appellation was produced from insanely low yields of only 10 hectoliters per hectare! This is probably the best wine from any producer ever made in the Cotes du Rhone. Good luck finding any as the production was close to a whopping 300 cases.

Domaine de la Vieille Julienne also makes very strong red and white wine in the Cotes du Rhone appellation from 15 hectares of vines they own in the appellation.

www.vieillejulienne.com