Le Vieux Donjon Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2020

  • 95 Jeb
    Dunnuck
  • 95 James
    Suckling
  • 94 Wine
    Spectator
  • 94 Robert
    Parker
4.3 Very Good (12)
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Le Vieux Donjon Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2020  Front Bottle Shot
Le Vieux Donjon Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2020  Front Bottle Shot Le Vieux Donjon Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2020  Front Label

Product Details


Varietal

Region

Producer

Vintage
2020

Size
750ML

ABV
15%

Features
Collectible

Green Wine

Your Rating

0.0 Not For Me NaN/NaN/N

Somm Note

Winemaker Notes

Blend: 75% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre, 5% Cinsault

Professional Ratings

  • 95
    The 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape is another winner from this team, and readers can’t go wrong here. Based on 75% Grenache, 10% each of Syrah and Mourvedre, with the balance Cinsault, it was partially destemmed and brought up all in foudre. This beauty just about jumps out of the glass with its Provençal aromatics of ripe cherries, ground pepper, saddle leather, garrigue, and spice. These carry to a medium to full-bodied wine that has the vintage’s charming, pure character front and center, yet still brings good mid-palate density and ripe tannins.
  • 95

    Excellent depth of black fruits, but the Mediterranean herb aromas dominate the fruit. Then the concentrated and very structured palate sweeps you away in a gentle and sensual way. Wonderful interplay of ripeness and expertly crafted fine tannins through the long, elegant finish. A cuvee 75% grenache, 10% syrah, 10% mourvedre and 5% cinsault that were co-fermented, then matured in foudre.

  • 94
    Enticing and pretty, this boasts a pure beam of raspberry, rooibos tea and singed garrigue, with notes of baking spices and dried lavender. A pretty yet substantial wine, with chalky tannins lining the finish. Vibrant and fresh, with good drive. Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Cinsault. Drink now through 2032.
  • 94

    Vieux Donjon's 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape is a balanced, harmonious effort that offers up pretty aromas of strawberries, raspberries and cherries, accented by hints of crushed stone and dusty earth. It's full-bodied and supple, with a long, silky-textured finish. Richer and riper than the 2021, it shows great harmony and texture. Tasted twice (once blind), with consistent notes.

Other Vintages

2021
  • 93 James
    Suckling
  • 92 Robert
    Parker
  • 92 Jeb
    Dunnuck
2019
  • 99 Jeb
    Dunnuck
  • 98 Decanter
  • 96 Wine
    Spectator
  • 96 Robert
    Parker
2018
  • 95 Robert
    Parker
  • 95 Jeb
    Dunnuck
  • 93 Wine
    Spectator
2017
  • 95 Robert
    Parker
  • 95 Jeb
    Dunnuck
  • 93 Wine
    Spectator
2016
  • 98 Jeb
    Dunnuck
  • 97 Robert
    Parker
  • 95 Wine
    Spectator
  • 94 Decanter
2015
  • 95 Wine
    Spectator
  • 95 Robert
    Parker
  • 95 Jeb
    Dunnuck
2014
  • 92 Wine &
    Spirits
  • 91 Robert
    Parker
  • 91 Wine
    Spectator
2013
  • 94 Wine &
    Spirits
  • 90 Wine
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  • 90 Robert
    Parker
2012
  • 94 Robert
    Parker
  • 92 Wine &
    Spirits
2011
  • 91 Robert
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  • 91 Wine
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2010
  • 96 Robert
    Parker
  • 96 Wine
    Spectator
  • 94 Decanter
2009
  • 94 Robert
    Parker
  • 93 Wine
    Spectator
2008
  • 93 Wine
    Spectator
  • 90 Robert
    Parker
2007
  • 96 Robert
    Parker
2006
  • 93 Wine
    Spectator
  • 91 Robert
    Parker
2005
  • 95 Wine
    Spectator
  • 93 Robert
    Parker
2004
  • 94 Wine
    Spectator
  • 90 Robert
    Parker
2003
  • 95 Robert
    Parker
2001
  • 94 Robert
    Parker
1998
  • 97 Wine
    Spectator
  • 95 Robert
    Parker
  • 94 Wine
    Enthusiast
1995
  • 97 Wine
    Spectator
Le Vieux Donjon

Le Vieux Donjon

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Le Vieux Donjon, France
Le Vieux Donjon  Winery Image

Le Vieux Donjon, as it exists today, was created in 1979 with the marriage of Lucien and Marie José Michel. Both Lucien and Marie José's parents owned vineyards in the region, and those holding were combined to form Le Vieux Donjon. The domaine covers fourteen hectares of vineyards (all farmed organically), thirteen planted to red grapes and one planted to white. The Michel's holdings are primarily in the North and Northwest of the AOC, but they also have small plots in the Southwest and East. Their most important parcel is Pialons, and the grapes from the 2008 come from that parcel as well as those in Cabrieres, Bois de Boursan, Les Marines and Le Mourre de Gaude. The soils are mainly limestone and clay, and are studded with the famed galets roulé, the round, rust-colored stones which were left behind after the retreat of the Alpine glaciers which once covered the region.

Since 2008 Claire Fabre has been the winemaker at Le Vieux Donjon. She is the third generation of the Michel family which was founded by the father of Lucien Michel, Marcel Michel, who did the first bottling at his domain in 1966. Since 1979 Marie José and Lucien Michel have run the property. Claire is married to another winegrower, Adrien Fabre of Domaine la Florane in Visan. In 2013 Claire's brother François joined her at the domain, and the two of them became officially responsible for the property together with their mother Marie Michel.

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With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.

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Famous for its full-bodied, seductive and spicy reds with flavor and aroma characteristics reminiscent of black cherry, baked raspberry, garrigue, olive tapenade, lavender and baking spice, Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the leading sub-appellation of the southern Rhône River Valley. Large pebbles resembling river rocks, called "galets" in French, dominate most of the terrain. The stones hold heat and reflect it back up to the low-lying gobelet-trained vines. Though the galets are typical, they are not prominent in every vineyard. Chateau Rayas is the most obvious deviation with very sandy soil.

According to law, eighteen grape varieties are allowed in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and most wines are blends of some mix of these. For reds, Grenache is the star player with Mourvedre and Syrah coming typically second. Others used include Cinsault, Counoise and occasionally Muscardin, Vaccarèse, Picquepoul Noir and Terret Noir.

Only about 6-7% of wine from Châteauneuf-du-Pape is white wine. Blends and single-varietal bottlings are typically based on the soft and floral Grenache Blanc but Clairette, Bourboulenc and Roussanne are grown with some significance.

The wine of Chateauneuf-du-Pape takes its name from the relocation of the papal court to Avignon. The lore says that after moving in 1309, Pope Clément V (after whom Chateau Pape-Clément in Pessac-Léognan is named) ordered that vines were planted. But it was actually his successor, John XXII, who established the vineyards. The name however, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, translated as "the pope's new castle," didn’t really stick until the 19th century.

GTSAJRHOCPDON0120_2020 Item# 1085410

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