Domaine de la Vieille Julienne

Like many estates in the Rhône, Domaine de la Vieille Julienne was originally used only as a grape growing property that sold off their fruit in bulk for négociant bottlings. It was founded in 1905 but the domaine did not start bottling their own production until the late 1960s when they also renovated their cellars. In 1990, in a pivotal move, Jean-Paul Daumen joined the domaine and from that point on, more focus was put onto low yields and natural viticultural methods. Within several years, Daumen began attracting critical attention and in 2007, Robert Parker summed up the domaine well: "Over the last decade, Jean-Paul Daumen, the proprietor, winemaker, and Mr. Everything at Vieille Julienne, has emerged as one of France’s most compelling wine producers. Taking advantage of the ancient vines his family owns in the northern sector of Chateauneuf du Pape, and biodynamically farming the entire vineyard, he has produced extraordinary wines since 1998. Daumen’s winemaking philosophy is remarkably simple – old vines, tiny yields of around 20 hectoliters per hectare, no SO2 during vinification, aging in neutral tanks or wood, and bottling without fining or filtration. The results are wines of extraordinary purity, and naked expressions of terroir as well as the personality of the vintage. I cannot recommend these wines highly enough. Sadly, as with most of the world’s most majestic wines, production is relatively limited, and the demand is insatiable."