2005 Domaine de la Janasse Cuvee Vieilles Vignes Chateauneuf-du-Pape

(98 Points  --  Wine Advocate)

Absolutely profound, and certainly one of the vintages great wines is the 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes. Inky plum/ruby/purple to the rim, with a big, sweet nose of melted licorice, smoked meats, blackberries, cassis, and earth, the wine is deep, powerful, full-bodied, with fabulous concentration, purity, and a multi-dimensional mouthfeel. The finish goes on for close to a minute. Forget this wine for 2-5 years and drink it over the following 25+ years. Tasting at Janasse is fun. It is a large estate of 195 acres with 45 of them situated in Chateauneuf du Pape. Even if you weren’t obsessed with their fabulous Chateauneuf du Papes, they have a portfolio of brilliant wines from Cotes du Rhone as well as a vin de pays. Young proprietor Christophe Sabon, working with his wife and father, continues to fine-tune his winemaking skills. He is already brilliant at reds and shows increasing confidence in the quality of his white wine cuvees. Wine Advocate # 173, Oct 2007