Domaine la Vieille Julienne ‘Les Trois Sources’ Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2020
Other notes
The charm meter is on high with this wine from the moment of takeoff. Fresh and sweet red fruits dance around the deeper, more powerful aspects which take a bit of time to be wrangle in. It is not every day that we can taste powerful red wines with citrus notes that subtly elevate the darker fruit and earth elements of the wine. Les Trois Sources is the most fun-loving and generous cuvée of the bunch. While tasting with other VJ wines from the same vintage, this wine constantly begs for your attention and it is hard not to give in. The 80+ year-old vines bring more serious depth to the wine which is hard to get to because the wine is far too easy to drink quickly, even on a 90 degree day!
| Vintage | 2020 |
| Appellation | Chateauneuf-du-Pape |
| Alcohol | 15.00% |
| Volume | 750 ml |
| Country of Origin | FRANCE |
| State of Origin | N/A |
| Artificially Carbonated | No |
| Sparkling Wine | No |
Leading off the three Châteauneuf du Pape releases, the 2020 Châteauneuf du Pape Les Trois Sources comes from three different terroirs located in the northern part of the appellation, just across the street from the domaine. Roasted Provençal garrigue, black licorice, black raspberries, Asian spices, and a hint of cassis all define the bouquet, and it hits the palate with a layered, medium to full-bodied profile that has silky tannins and no hard edges. It's much more up-front and approachable than the more structured Les Hauts-Lieux and is going to drink fabulously well over the coming 15+ years. - Jeb Dunnuck, 96 pts
An open, spicy style, with vibrant fruit, violets and sugared almonds. Rounded, juicy and fresh, the acidity is quite marked and the alcohol is quite high, however it's very ripe, with blackberry and liquorice within grippy tannins which need time. Vines are on three terraces on sandy soils. Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, Counoise, Mourvèdre, Muscardin, Terret Noir, Vaccarèse, Grenache Blanc, Clairette and Picardan, with an average age of 75 years, all co-planted and co-fermented. - Decanter, 93 pts
Located on the north side of the Mont Redon plateau, this is made up of, well, you guessed it, three vineyards. Unlike many estates in Chateauneuf-du-Pape that blend parcels from all over the appellation, these parcels are right next to each other. The soils are made of the same basic sand and calcium that come from this north face. The name Trois Source not only implies that is comes from three vineyards, but from three vineyards that each have their own spring; in French, source, is the word for this. Given the nature of this aspect and the direct contact with the Mistral winds from the north, Vieille Julienne’s vineyards are able to find perfectly balanced ripeness with many layers of complexity.
