2019 Châteauneuf du Pape - Le Vieux Donjon Magnum

A great vintage of Vieux Donjon, the 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape is still sturdy and tannic, marked by concentrated dark fruit. Powerful and concentrated, it deserves another few years in the cellar, although it begins to be approachable after four hours in a decanter.

At Le Vieux Donjon, Claire Michel and her brother, François, kindly offered a brief vertical of their red wines, including the 2021, 2020, 2019, 2016 and 2010 vintages. This fairly traditional estate continues to fashion a single red wine and a single white wine each year, putting them in what seems to be an ever-shrinking minority of producers.

The white wine is a blend of Clairette and Roussanne, made entirely in stainless steel, and grown near the bottom of Cabrières, where the clay is particularly abundant amid the limestone. "It's a good terroir for whites," said François. The Michels report that they are picking their Roussanne earlier than they used to, focusing on retaining freshness. In 2022, the Roussanne was picked on August 22, the Clairette on September 3.

The red wine matures in foudres or concrete tanks, so it also sees rather neutral aging. The wine is blended in December the year following the harvest, then put back into foudre or tank until bottling, several months later. François recalls 2021 as, "a normal summer, not too warm, not too dry. Very classical and easy, up until the end, when we had several rain episodes—three or four."

As at many estates, the 2021 red wine has turned out better than was expected when the grapes were harvested, and the 2021 Le Vieux Donjon, while it doesn't measure up to the wines from great vintages, is an excellent wine.