CDP Vieilles Vignes, Domaine de Marcoux 2001

The 2001 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes may not attain the perfection of the 1998, or the pure exuberance and voluptuousness of the 2000, but it is a brilliant effort. A wine of nobility as well as purity, this cuvee, made primarily from 50-100 year old Grenache vines, exhibits a dark plum/purple color as well as a sumptuous bouquet of Provencal herbs, roasted meats, creme de cassis, blackberries, and violets. Floral and full-bodied with a seamlessness that only old vines can provide, it possesses rich, concentrated, pure fruit, low acidity, and admirable delineation (because of its tannic structure). Give it 2-3 years of cellaring, and drink it over the following 15-18 years.