CDP Cuvée Réservée, Domaine de la Vieille Julienne 1998

The 1998 Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve is a fair step back from the incredible 2001, 2003 and 2005, yet is still a beautiful 1998 that's drinking at point. Black cherry liqueur, candied licorice, burnished wood, liquid smoke and cured meats all give way to a full-bodied, concentrated Chateauneuf that has plenty of fine tannin and a great finish. As is common with a lot of '98s, its structure is front and center, yet I think it has the fruit to continue evolving nicely.

I remember the 1998 La Vieille Julienne Cuvee Reserve as one of the remarkable wines of the vintage in its youth, but two bottles opened from my cellar were perplexing and have under-mined my confidence in where this wine might be heading. There was an oxidized (stale nuts) smell that is suggestive of fino Sherry in the wine. Both bottles had it, and while it did seem to subside with some aeration, and the wine is certainly full-bodied, powerful, and rich, there was a lack of definition and purity in the wine that raises cause for alarm. There was not much of it made, and recent vintages such as the 1999, 2000, and 2001 have been spectacular wines, about as good as Chateauneuf du Pape can be, so I just wonder if I was unlucky with the bottles I purchased, or if this is symptomatic of the wine itself.

The 1998 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reservee (14.5% alcohol) is a deep, full-bodied effort with a terrific multi-layered texture, thrilling levels of blackberry and cherry liqueur-flavored fruit, superb length, admirable purity, and huge weight, ripeness, and balance. There is some moderate tannin to shed, so 3-4 years of cellaring is recommended. It should keep for two decades.