The 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape, which was pulled from foudres, exhibits good acidity and freshness, a dense bluish/purple color, 16% natural alcohol, and a full-bodied mouthfeel with notes of blueberry, black raspberry, lavender, pepper and meat juices. A hint of unsmoked cigar tobacco is present as well. (Not yet released) The DAUMEN wines marked with asterisks are from Jean-Paul Daumen’s new negociant operation. Most of them actually come from estate fruit that he has declassified from his vineyards. In both 2009 and 2010, Jean-Paul Daumen produced approximately 150-200 cases of Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve, which is certainly one of the world’s greatest red wines, but virtually impossible to find. You will have much more luck finding either his 2009 or 2010 Chateauneuf du Papes. A Christopher Cannan Selection, various American importers including: VinConnect Inc., CA 415 857-5740; Importer: T. Edward Wines, Ltd., New York, NY; tel. (212) 233-1504; Diamond Wine Merchant, Oakland, CA; tel. (510) 567-9897; and Route des Vins Imports, LLC, Charleston, SC; tel. (843) 737-0301

Starting with the 2009, it is a beautiful Chateauneuf du Pape that shows surprising elegance and polish in the vintage. Black cherries, licorice, violets and ample underbrush aromas and flavors show in this full-bodied, seriously textured effort. Drink it anytime over the coming decade or more. One of my favorite producers, Vieille Julienne is run by the brilliant Jean-Paul Daumen. Coming all from a cool, mostly sandy terroir located in the northern part of the appellation, these traditionally made wines possess singular characters that have both richness and depth on the palate, as well as notable elegance and freshness. They epitomize this tiny terroir and are more Vieille Julienne than they are Chateauneuf du Pape. For this tasting, we focused on his traditional Chateauneuf (which is now broken up into two cuvees, the Trois Sources and the Hauts Lieux) and his Reserve bottling, which is produced only when this tiny plot of vines offers something unique to say. Looking first at Jean-Paul’s traditional Chateauneuf (made up until 2009), it is always a rough blend of close to 90% Grenache, with smaller components of Syrah, Mourvedre, Counoise and Cinsault. Completely destemmed, it’s aged in older foudre and never sees any new wood. While it comes from a cooler terroir in the northern part of the appellation (and Jean-Paul favors harvesting on the earlier side), it never lacks for richness and is a concentrated, structured effort that benefits from cellar time. Moving to the Reserve bottling, this cuvee comes from a single plot of 100+-year-old vines, planted in what looks like pure beach sand. It’s also slightly more Grenache dominated than the classic cuvee, with the blend containing 90-95% Grenache and the balance Cinsault and Syrah. It too is completely destemmed and aged all in older foudres. First made in 1994, it’s only produced when Jean-Paul feels that the plot has something special to say. Available in the U.S. through Vin Connect Inc., Tel. (415) 857-5740; www.vinconnect.com

Hitting 15% natural alcohol, the 2008 Chateauneuf du Pape is a superb wine in the vintage and possesses a medium-bodied, elegant and balanced feel, with pretty pepper, darker cherries, licorice and spring flower-like aromas and flavors. Burgundian in style, with more minerality and juicy berry fruit coming out with air, it should continue to drink nicely through 2024. One of my favorite producers, Vieille Julienne is run by the brilliant Jean-Paul Daumen. Coming all from a cool, mostly sandy terroir located in the northern part of the appellation, these traditionally made wines possess singular characters that have both richness and depth on the palate, as well as notable elegance and freshness. They epitomize this tiny terroir and are more Vieille Julienne than they are Chateauneuf du Pape. For this tasting, we focused on his traditional Chateauneuf (which is now broken up into two cuvees, the Trois Sources and the Hauts Lieux) and his Reserve bottling, which is produced only when this tiny plot of vines offers something unique to say. Looking first at Jean-Paul’s traditional Chateauneuf (made up until 2009), it is always a rough blend of close to 90% Grenache, with smaller components of Syrah, Mourvedre, Counoise and Cinsault. Completely destemmed, it’s aged in older foudre and never sees any new wood. While it comes from a cooler terroir in the northern part of the appellation (and Jean-Paul favors harvesting on the earlier side), it never lacks for richness and is a concentrated, structured effort that benefits from cellar time. Moving to the Reserve bottling, this cuvee comes from a single plot of 100+-year-old vines, planted in what looks like pure beach sand. It’s also slightly more Grenache dominated than the classic cuvee, with the blend containing 90-95% Grenache and the balance Cinsault and Syrah. It too is completely destemmed and aged all in older foudres. First made in 1994, it’s only produced when Jean-Paul feels that the plot has something special to say. Available in the U.S. through Vin Connect Inc., Tel. (415) 857-5740; www.vinconnect.com