WTN: Still a Baby - 1998 Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf du Pape

[David M. Bueker]

I had been eyeing this wine for months, and a cold, rainy night was the perfect excuse to pull it from the rack & finally pop the cork. It had been ver 5 years since I last opened a bottle. For all that time I had been waiting for the wine to evolve, change & reach some mystical, magical peak of maturity. Of course I had only experienced such heights a few times (e.g. the 1989 Pegau), but I knew it was out there.

I pulled the cork, and was pleased that everything seemed to be in perfect condition. The wine's color was not so evolved, being mostly deep red with some pinkish/purplish hues at the rim. Certainly there was no bricking involved. Since I had just pulled the bottle from the cellar it was a bit cold (and my 58 degree house didn't help matters), so I warmed the wine in the glass for a few minutes, periodically taking a sniff to see what was going on. After about 5 minutes of swirling the wine woke up, and began to reveal its charms. There's a laundry list of "classic" Châteauneuf du Pape descriptors, and certainly the Donjon had most of them. I could immediately pick off black fruit, saddle leather, warm herbs, dusty earth, smoked meat and black olives. What amazed me was that at 9 years of age the wine had not really evolved that much. Sure the primary fruit had backed off a bit, but it was still the most forward element in the wine.

Tasting the wine brought immediate confirmation that here was a wine that needed more cellar time. Certainly it was enjoyable, but it was all primary fruit, with the complexity factor pushed to the background. The one concession to age was that the tannins were quite subdued, making the wine very easy to drink. It's a wonderful drink, but I cannot help but feel that my impatience finally got the best of me. Luckily my remaining bottles are buried so deep in the cellar that it will take a complete reorganization to get to them.

David,
Thanks for taking one for the team. I shall let mine rest for a couple of years based upon your experience.
Bill

[David M. Bueker]

The 1999 and 2000 are giving much more right now if you need a Donjon fix.

[Jenise]

I have never owned any Donjon, but courtesy of my Canadian friends I've gotten to taste a few bottles over the years and it has become one of the wines I most covet owning. Always stunning, no matter the vintage, it seems. Be warned--if any ever shows up on sale within earshot of me, I'm off probation.

[David M. Bueker]

Vieux Donjon is actually French for computer parts.

The 1999 and 2000 are giving much more right now if you need a Donjon fix.

I'll have to disagree on the '00 which I had recently and found still very primary in terms of fruit/flavour profile and quite tannic. (Surprising, as the other 00 CdPs I've had in the last year or so have all been drinking very nicely with some sense of development of flavour and the tannins not being as aggressive as in the Vieux Donjon.)

[David M. Bueker]

Thanks for the info on the '00 Salil. The bottles of the 2000 I have tried were not from my cellar, so perhaps they were more advanced.

Hi David,

Thanks a lot for the tasting note on the 1998 VD. I have had the wine twice this year and both times I felt that it was many years from being ready. Both times, the wine was from a much more passive cellar than yours. A bottle in March '08 from my cellar was passively stored from release until about 3 years ago, when transferred to my wine cooler. A bottle in June '08 was, I believe, from Charles' cellar, which I've heard him describe as passive. IN both cases, the wine was an infant and seemingly years from readiness. From your cellar, you may have to wait a loooong time.

From March 2008: 1998 Le Vieux Donjon Chateauneuf du Pape. This should have been given a more aggressive decanting—my bad. Still, it shows great promise and could use another 10 years in the cellar. The nose is like a black hole of dark berries, black currants, smoke, black shoe leather and black earth, with just a hint of bell pepper and dried stems. This heart of darkness theme carries into the mouth, where it is dark and brooding and dense. The gorgeous texture is like a velvet-covered easy chair on the palate, especially when married to the pillowy tannins that come on strong as the evening moves along. It really fills the mouth with its black fruits, lava and spice flavors. The finish is very long and spicy and really leaves a promising impression.

From June 2008: 1998 Le Vieux Donjon Chateauneuf du Pape. The nose is brooding and introspective for the most part, offering glimpses of meaty plums, roasted dark fruits, bridle leather, dark caramel and a bit of earth. In the mouth, it is pretty intense, with a big hit of spiciness and lush fruits. However, there is a hint of alcoholic warmth throughout for me, and the wine seems to shut down a bit on the finish, where soft tannins tickle the tongue. To me, this was drinking very tight and not showing much. I may have been alone in this assessment, but I was left wanting more. Regardless, it seems clear that this needs at least another 5 years in the cellar.

-Michael

[Jenise]

Vieux Donjon is actually French for computer parts.

You know what, I have some computer parts I need to get rid of. Are you going to be home next week?

[David M. Bueker]

From your cellar, you may have to wait a loooong time.

Noooooooooooooooooooooo!!!

I better cut out the fried foods.

[David M. Bueker]

You know what, I have some computer parts I need to get rid of. Are you going to be home next week?

Yup. Computer recycling center is open.

[Jenise]

The 1999 and 2000 are giving much more right now if you need a Donjon fix.

I'll have to disagree on the '00 which I had recently and found still very primary in terms of fruit/flavour profile and quite tannic. (Surprising, as the other 00 CdPs I've had in the last year or so have all been drinking very nicely with some sense of development of flavour and the tannins not being as aggressive as in the Vieux Donjon.)

Bill Spohn's TN on a bottle we shared about three months ago: 2000 Vieux Donjon – dark with a spicy peppery nose with the first of what I’d characterize as garrigue. After some time in the glass the wine the nose changed to a dustier almost chalky version, though still with the pepper. This also drinks quite well today but there is no rush.

Someone gave me a few bottles of the 2001 Vieux Donjon, seeing that there seems to be a plethora of VD fans here--what say you? VD= Vieux Donjon before I get any response from my critics.

Someone gave me a few bottles of the 2001 Vieux Donjon, seeing that there seems to be a plethora of VD fans here--what say you? VD= Vieux Donjon before I get any response from my critics.

Lou-
Haven't broken into my small stash of 2001 VD and don't intend to for another 2-3 years. But then again, what the hell do I know?
Bill

seeing that there seems to be a plethora of VD fans here

I'm sorry, but there is no way to use this shorthand for the wine and not provoke untoward thoughts!

I tasted the 1998 Vieux Donjon on release and immediately socked a couple of cases away in the celar, because I figured thhat this was about as good as it got and I wanted some good drinking after 2010. Then the 1999 came along and is also an absolute killer wine, so I had to put a bit of it away and the .......

I stand by my assessment of the 2000 as an earlier drinking vintage for this wine. I've had it a couple of times recently and it is showing far more than most older vintages are right now.

I have a half case of 1990 it may be time to track down.....