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PREMIUM

Walls: Domaine de la Janasse, Vieilles Vignes 2011-2000 vertical

Matt Walls unpicks the emblematic cuvée from one of his top-ranked estates in Châteauneuf-du-Pape; a wine where patience is a virtue that will be handsomely rewarded.

Some Châteauneufs are more reliable than others. When I visit the region to taste the new vintage every year, Domaine de la Janasse’s cuvée Vieilles Vignes regularly features among the best.

It’s a particularly dense and concentrated wine when young, and it always strikes me that, even for Châteauneuf, it’s a wine that needs extended ageing to show its best.

I was keen to acquire a more complete understanding of how this cuvée develops, so I visited brother-and-sister team Isabelle and Christophe Sabon at the estate earlier this year to find out.

Between 10 and 20 years of age is typically a sweet spot for opening Châteauneuf-du-Pape, so we opened a full vertical of Vieilles Vignes from 2011 back to 2000 to assess how it ages.


Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for 11 vintages of Domaine de la Janasse’s Vieilles Vignes



See Matt Walls’ tasting notes and scores for 11 vintages of Domaine de la Janasse’s Vieilles Vignes

Wines are listed in vintage order, youngest to oldest


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