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CDP Le Vieux Donjon, Le Vieux Donjon (Lucien Michel) 2010

Tasting Notes

The 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape is a traditionally made cuvee aged totally in tank and foudre. Its inky/purple color is followed by a sweet bouquet of black olives, incense, blackberries, mulberries, black cherries and lavender. This perfumed, super-concentrated 2010 possesses good acidity, ripe tannin and a full-bodied, expansive mouthfeel. This mouth-coating, saturated, dense Chateauneuf du Pape has plenty of tannin to shed, so give it 3-4 years of cellaring, and drink it over the following two decades.

96
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (203), October 2012

This takes a decidedly old-school approach with its very distinctive bay leaf and juniper notes leading the way, along with roasted mesquite and alder wood. The core of steeped black currant, roasted plum and blackberry fruit waits in reserve while the long, ganache and tar-filled finish has nice rugged grip, with a peppery echo. Should cellar wonderfully. Best from 2015 through 2030.

96
James Molesworth, WineSpectator.com, September 2012

Another great Vieux Donjon, the 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape boasts fascinating, complex aromas of licorice, spice drops, black cherries, leather and dusty earth. Full-bodied and silky-textured, it's compelling stuff, long on the finish, with plenty of life still ahead of it.

96
Joe Czerwinski, RobertParker.com, September 2023

A brilliant effort that ranks alongside the 2007, the 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape boasts abundant notes of black cherry liqueur interwoven with black currant, blueberry, spring flower, roasted herb, licorice, pepper and bouquet garni characteristics. Full-bodied with good acidity, terrific purity, a fleshy mouthfeel and a long finish, it should be even better in 4-5 years and last for two decades or more.

93/95
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (197), November 2011
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.