Chateauneuf du Pape: Le Vieux Donjon Rouge 2006
Description
‘Vieux Donjon’s 2006 Châteauneuf du Pape is a powerful, seriously-endowed effort for the vintage, displaying more structure and muscle than most wines in this forward, fruit-friendly year.’ Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate
- Style: Red Wine, Dry (Sec), Full-bodied
- Region: Rhone, Chateauneuf du Pape,
- Producer: Le Vieux Donjon (Lucien Michel)
- Vintage: 2006
- Grape variety (Cépage): Cinsault, Grenache Noir, Mourvèdre, Syrah
- Wine pairing - drink with: Beef, Casserole, Lamb, Hard Cheese
- Cellarage: Drink 2007 - 2020.
- Vinification: Low yields of ripe grapes are picked by hand from 80-year-old vines. They then undergo an alcoholic fermentation in cement vats for 18-21 days, followed by 2 months in cement tanks for a malolactic fermentation. The wine is left unfiltered and is bottled 18 months after the vendage.
- Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 14%
- Full Tasting Notes (PDF): Download
Châteauneuf du Pape: Le Vieux Donjon Rouge 2006
Commendably (unlike most of the heralded Châteauneuf’ estates) Le Vieux Donjon do not produce any trophy-hunting ‘special’ cuvées. They make just one red wine that is consistently excellent. It is made from a traditional blend of 75% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre and 5% Cinsault that is fermented in vat and raised in large oak foudres for 18 months before bottling. The finished wine has attractive wild herb and berry aromas with a complex palate of briary hedgerow fruit supported by an elegant tannic structure. It comes into its own with 2-3 years bottle age but superior vintages will last for 2 decades or more.
What others think of this wine...
Ned Halley, Western Daily Press 24th September 2011 says:The best Châteauneuf du Pape I have tasted in a long time is Le Vieux Donjon 2006 at £27.50 from Wiltshire Merchant Yapp Bros. I'll admit I first tasted it at the estate, along with the Michel family who make it, and I was completely seduced. The cepage (grape blend) is 75 per cent Grenache, 10 Syrah, 10 Mourvèdre and 5 Cinsault. The wine is hugely reassuring, the experience of a lifetime, and the finest possible tribute to the great Grenache grape.
Jane MacQuitty in The Times on Saturday, 02/10/2010 says:Whatever you do, scoop up the gorgeous, herby, velvety, grenache-dominant 2006 Châteauneuf du Pape, Le Vieux Donjon, whose warm, spicy fruit is a stunner perfect with furred and feathered medium to heavyweight game dishes.
Ned Halley - Western Daily Press September 2010 says:Rhône specialists Yapp Bros of Mere in Wiltshire have one of the great Châteauneuf names, Le Vieux Donjon, a small family business making only about 4,000 cases a year. I tasted the 2006 vintage last week, and can safely recommend it, even at the price of £27.50, for it's grippy, gamey, savoury intensity and long, spicy fruit. It is youthful without being raw, and the tannin that is a feature of all decent Châteauneuf is still evident. Good now, better in a couple of years, I'd guess. Jason Yapp of Yapp Bros tells me that while this wine "is eminently enjoyable now, it will definitely continue to drink very well for the next 10 years."
Meirion Williams in Men's Health Magazine says:The Bottle to hide - A classic, sophisticated example from one of the region's most celebrated domaines. Sensual and warming with robust black cherry and olive flavours, it's a perfect partner to steak of venison. Great value for the quality on offer.
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