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Le Vieux Donjon, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, 1998

Red Wine from Southern Rhone, France
by Le Vieux Donjon
$114.99
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1998 reset expectations for Chateauneuf-du-Pape, with an even flowering followed by a warm, dry, sunny summer and harvest, and nearly three decades on the good bottles are exactly where you want them. Le Vieux Donjon is one of the appellation's quiet traditionalists: the Michel family makes a single red cuvee, roughly 75% Grenache with Mourvedre, Syrah and Cinsault filling out the rest, on the conviction that one great wine beats several average ones. The parcels are scattered across the appellation, running from galets roules at Cabrieres and Mourre de Gaud to sandy soils not far from Chateau Rayas, and more than a third of the vines are over a century old. Fermentation happens in concrete and the wine spends 18 months mostly in large foudres with the balance in cement vats, so there is no new oak to get in the way. This bottle comes from a private cellar rather than the domaine and it is fully mature: stand it upright a day ahead, decant gently off the sediment, and drink it over the evening.

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Antonio Galloni

94 points

"The 1998 Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape presented a slightly more restrained, graceful style of Châteauneuf in its silky tannins and graceful, elegant fruit. It, too, was fabulous." —Antonio Galloni

Robert Parker

96 points

"The 1998 Chateauneuf du Pape from the Michel family was firing on all cylinders for this retrospective, and while I’ve had bottles stateside that seem tired, this was beautiful on all accounts. Garrigue, truffle, leather and plenty of ripe fruit flow to a full-bodied, mouth filling and unctuously textured feel on the palate. A classic, foudre-aged blend of 75% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre and the rest other permitted varieties, I would drink bottles ASAP while they’re showing this beautifully, but it will certainly hold nicely for another 7-8 years." —Jeb Dunnuck

Wine Spectator

97 points

"Displays gorgeous, savage aromas and flavors, with crushed juniper berry, hot tar, sage leaf, roasted chestnut and grilled beef notes that scorch across the palate. Still rugged on the finish, though the color at the rim and the intensity and range of the aromas show that this is evolving.--1998 Châteauneuf-du-Pape retrospective. Best from 2009 through 2027."

Wine Enthusiast

94 points

"Inky and rustic, yet in a refined manner. This is knock-out juice if you like ’em big and flavorful. The full bouquet of grape, raisin, oak, licorice and herb aromas pulls you in and the follow-up palate of dense blackberry flavors with herb and smoke shadings fulfills the promise the nose makes. Loads of oak here, but there’s great depth of fruit for it to play against. A definite keeper; hold for three or four years at least."

More about Le Vieux Donjon

Wine Details

  • Grape Variety

    Red Blend

  • Vintage

    1998

  • Size

    750ml

  • Sweetness

    Dry

Flatiron's Take

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Tasting Notes & Food Pairings

Perfect Pairings

Roast leg of lamb with garlic, daube de boeuf, braised duck with olives, or a well-aged Comte.

Tasting Profile

Dried cherry and fig with garrigue herbs, leather, black pepper and truffle. Full-bodied but softened, with fine resolved tannins and a warm, savory finish.