la Vieille Julienne Les-Hauts-Lieux 2018

A Brief History of Domaine de la Vieille Julienne

On the heights of « lieu-dit Clavin » and at the northern limit of  Chateauneuf du Pape, the estate was born in the 17th century.

Today, this old vines vineyard’s of 20 hectares (50 acres), in one single bloc, shares out between red Châteauneuf du Pape « les Trois Sources », red Châteauneuf du Pape «les Hauts-lieux» and red and white Côtes du Rhône «lieu-dit Clavin».

The north facing terroir of slopes and its microclimate gives to this unique location a special ability, remaining very well adapted to the extreme current climatic conditions of the southern Rhône Valley and producing singular, harmonious and balanced wines.

​From generation to generation, terroirs are benefiting from the greatest respect and the vigneron, who remains attentive and sensitive, perpetuates the good practices and the « good sense of the farmer ».

All the traditional and original grape-varieties are selected, reproduced and planted using complantation (different kind of grape-varieties mixed in the same plot).

Harvests entirely done by hands allow a first selection in the vineyard and a second selection when the grapes (transported in small boxes), arrive at the winery.

The vinification continues to be traditional and the fermentation is natural, without any addition. The priceless natural yeasts located in the pruine (berry), reveals both singularity of each terroirs and single expression for each vintage.

Following a long and slow fermentation, wines are drained away in foudre (large oak barrels). Then, after 18 months aging, the bottling is done without fining and filtering. 

(Copyright: Domaine de la Vieille Julienne)

"Including slightly more Mourvèdre and from a cooler, higher elevation terroir, the 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Hauts-Lieux has more cassis, game, peppery herbs, and olive notes, as well as the classic violets and black licorice nuances that always seem to be present in the wines from this estate. Possessing full-bodied richness, an ethereal, seamless texture, ultra-fine tannins, and nicely integrated acidity, it’s a more structured wine compared to the Les Trois Sources and will benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age and evolve for 15 years or more. It’s every bit as good as the Reserve cuvée in 2018." - Jeb Dunnuck, Jebdunnuck.com, Rating: 97, Drink: 2020-2035