Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 27/02/2004

There are approximately 3,300 cases of the 2001 Chateauneuf du Pape, a blend of 90% Grenache and the rest Counoise, Mourvedre, Syrah, and Cinsault. I tasted it ten days after bottling, and it is a brilliant effort that should merit a score in the low nineties after 3-4 years of bottle age. Bottled unfined and unfiltered (as are all of Vieille Julienne’s reds), and aged in neutral wood foudres for 18 months, it boasts a deep ruby/purple color as well as a big, sweet bouquet of kirsch liqueur, licorice, spice box, and a notion of beef blood. Full-bodied, textured, and firmly structured, with superb concentration, high tannin, and an uncompromising vin de garde style, it requires 3-4 years of cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2018.

Jean-Pierre Daumen (only 43 years old) is at the top of his game ... and we are all the beneficiaries.

A new label debuted in 2001 as Jean-Paul Daumen is fed up with the bickering going on between the two Chateauneuf du Pape syndicates. He has eliminated the engraved bottle, using a standard Burgundy-styled bottle, and also has a new label. Daumen told me that after 2001, there will no longer be a Cuvee Vieilles Vignes as everything will go into the traditional Chateauneuf du Pape bottling. The only exception will be great vintages when they will produce limited quantities of a Reserve cuvee.