Exceptionally deep colour. Heady, meaty nose - the business as far as well-made Châteauneuf is concerned . Really dynamic and electrically charged. Could be drunk now but probably shouldn’t. All the spices and herbs you want in a Châteauneuf-du-Pape cocktail. Lots of ripe tannin promises well for the future too.

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There are approximately 3,300 cases of the 2001 Chateauneuf du Pape, a blend of 90% Grenache and the rest Counoise, Mourvedre, Syrah, and Cinsault. I tasted it ten days after bottling, and it is a brilliant effort that should merit a score in the low nineties after 3-4 years of bottle age. Bottled unfined and unfiltered (as are all of Vieille JulienneâÂ?Â?s reds), and aged in neutral wood foudres for 18 months, it boasts a deep ruby/purple color as well as a big, sweet bouquet of kirsch liqueur, licorice, spice box, and a notion of beef blood. Full-bodied, textured, and firmly structured, with superb concentration, high tannin, and an uncompromising vin de garde style, it requires 3-4 years of cellaring.

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Perfumy, with dark cherry and raspberry compote notes, followed by dark currant, tar, mineral and spice flavors. Powerful, with the structure dominating the finish for now, but there's a suave sense of polish, too

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