2013 Domaine de la Janasse Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes
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Tasting notes
Opaque ruby. Ripe boysenberry and cassis on the exotically perfumed nose, complicated by suggestions of fresh flowers, Indian spices and incense. Sweet, deeply concentrated dark berry, candied cherry and fruitcake flavors show superb energy and a smooth, velvety texture. Really stains the palate but comes off graceful, with serious depth of flavor but no excess fat. Finishes sweet and supple, displaying outstanding persistence and a suave flourish of floral pastilles.
Critic scores
Jeb Dunnuck
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
While the cuvée Chaupin comes mostly from sandy soils, the 2013 Châteauneuf du Pape Cuvée Vieilles Vignes comes more from the rolled pebble soils the region is famous for, and always shows the richer, more powerful profile imparted from these soils. Mostly foudre-aged Grenache, it incorporates 20% Mourvèdre and roughly 10% Syrah (slightly more Syrah in 2013) that’s raised all in barrel. Exhibiting a deep purple color, it offers fabulous dark berry fruits, licorice, Provençal herbs and earthy/stony minerality on the nose. Medium to full-bodied, beautifully concentrated, ripe and with impressive sweetness to its tannin, it's a fabulous wine that will have 10-15 years of overall longevity.
Dark purple. Powerful aromas of dark fruit preserves, potpourri and candied flowers, with smoky Indian spice and mineral nuances in the background. Sweet and expansive but also sharply delineated, showing very good depth to its blackberry, mineral and floral pastille flavors. Distinctly rich but there's a surprisingly lithe character to this wine as well. Finishes very long and broad, with slow-building tannins and a lingering floral quality.