Wine Advisor
Domaine de la Janasse, Chateauneuf Du Pape Vieilles Vignes 2016
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Josh Raynolds
Opaque ruby. Powerful, mineral-accented blackberry and cherry aromas are complemented by incense, licorice and potpourri flourishes. Supple, sweet and impressively concentrated, offering palate-staining red and dark berry, cherry liqueur, fruitcake and lavender pastille flavors braced by a core of juicy acidity. Plush yet surprisingly lithe for its brawn, showing a suave floral note and outstanding clarity and velvety tannins on the strikingly long, smoke- and spice-tinged finish.
Reviewed by: Josh Raynolds
Bright violet. Heady aromas of mineral-tinged dark berry liqueur, incense and cola, complicated by a suave floral nuance. Smoky and seamless on the palate, offering powerful, alluringly sweet black and blue fruit, spicecake, mocha and candied licorice flavors braced by juicy acidity. Closes with outstanding clarity, smooth tannins and floral-dominated persistence, leaving sexy floral pastille and star anise notes behind.
Reviewed by: Joe Czerwinski
The sample of Grenache I tasted from La Crau Sud was rich and velvety, oozing with plums and chocolate. If the other elements of the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Vieilles Vignes can add freshness, my rating could be conservative.
Reviewed by: Joe Czerwinski
Time will tell if this wine equals the stellar 2015; it's certainly very close in quality. The 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Vieilles Vignes is a blend of approximately 75% Grenache, 12% Mourvèdre, 8% Syrah and the rest other permitted varieties. Tarry and deep on the nose, it delivers waves of blackberries and black cherries on the palate, framing those flavors with plenty of richness, layers of silky tannins and a long, elegant finish.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
There’s a very intense core of dark fruit. A deep, ripe and quite savory palate with spices and dark herbs. Bitter chocolate, too. Real depth and power here. Super-fresh, dark spice and cola give a real spark to the finish. Thrilling. A blend of four old-vine parcels from a variety of soils. Drink in 2020.
About the Producer
Founded in 1973 by Aime Sabon, Domaine de la Janasse is particularly young in comparison to the older French wineries. The vineyards were originally owned by Aime Sabon's father, who did not make wine, and the grapes were sold in bulk to wine merchants; in 1967, Aime Sabon retired from the Navy and returned home to take over the vineyards, and in 1973, he built his own cellar, thus creating Domaine de la Janasse. Domaine de la Janasse covers 137.5 acres and has vineyards in several different appellations, including: Chateauneuf du Pape, Cotes du Rhone and Cotes du Rhone Village. The vines of Domaine de la Janasse are planted on different soils and some are very old, up to 90 years old. The fruit from these old vines is used to produce Janasse Cuvee Vieilles Vinges, the estate's speciality. Domaine de la Janasse produces wines in the new style of Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines. Since 1993, the winery has been destemming the grapes from the harvest. This practice has continued and to date at least 80% of the berries are destemmed before fermentation. The Grenache is fermented in stainless steel tanks; the Mourvedre and Syrah are fermented in short conical oak barrels. Grenache is matured in large oak barrels; Mourvedre and Syrah are matured in a mixture of new French oak barrels and large oak barrels, which can add a new and trendy style to their wines.
