2018 Domaine La Vieille Julienne Les Trois Sources Chateauneuf du Pape

Since taking over the estate from his father in 1992, Jean-Paul Daumen has become one of the most talented and revered winemakers in all of France regularly producing some of the top wines of the vintage. Sourced from three different parcels Les Trois Sources is a blend of 70% old vine Grenache, 10% Syrah, 5% Counoise 5% Cinsault 5% Mourvedre with the balance a field blend of various AOC allowable grapes. Vinification takes place in traditional cement vats and the wines are aged for 12 months in foudres.
Black as night heart with a deep dark red black tinged hue. Heady black raspberry, liquorice and black cherry aromas flood the olfactory senses with fresh herb, scorched earth, smoked meats, incense and pepper notes ensuing. Rich and weighty the palate is saturated with black cherry, black raspberry and liquorice fruits which are underpinned by a muscular structure. Dried meats, scorched earth, infusions of provincial herbs and black pepper flow onto the back half. Opulent yet chewy mouthfeel with solidly built tannins firming up the finish and imparting some grip. Outstanding power and intensity with a long, dense and chewy finish.
Cellar 6-8 years.
Alc. 14.5%

Other Reviews….
70% Grenache – 10% Cinsault – 5% Syrah – 5% Counoise – 5% Mourvedre – 5% others (muscardin, terret noir, vaccarese, grenache blanc bourboulenc). Average of vines is 75 years. Raised in large foudre.
Perfume, nuts, juicy red fruits, floral, fresh and ferrous, gummy pastille richness, superb tannin profile, all silty and mouth-coating, hazelnut and game meat with juniper, and a long cherry pip finish. Top shelf. Drink 2022-2030+
96 points
Gary Walsh – The Wine Front 

Inky, rich, deep, satiny red. So much concentration but freshness, rosy characters in dark, ripe berry fruit characters, licks of salted liquorice, game meat, floral notes, pretty spice. It’s a very good wine here. Intense but lifted, wonderful, evocative and yet so darn svelte and sexy. Tannins come late but so well integrated, so fine, builds beautifully. Outstanding.
96 points
Mike Bennie – The Wine Front 

True to form, the 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Trois Sources is a softer, more elegant wine than the Les Hauts-Lieux and offers a gorgeous perfume of black cherries, black licorice, tapenade, violets, herbes de Provence, and jus de viande. Deep, full-bodied, and beautifully layered, it gains weight with time in the glass and is going to benefit from just short-term cellaring. It doesn’t have the concentration for any long-term cellaring yet my money is on it evolving nicely for a solid 10-12 years. Drink 2020-2032.
95 points
JebDunnuck.com