92 -94 points,

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, February 2003

The 2001 Chateauneuf du Pape appears to be tremendous, certainly one of the great Vieux Donjons produced. Its dense, murky black/purple color is followed by a gorgeous nose of creosote, licorice, black cherries, blackberries, pepper, incense, smoked herbs, and roasted meat. With exquisite concentration, copious tannin, and considerable delineation as well as structure, this massive, backward, promising Chateauneuf will require patience. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2018.

93 points,

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, February 2004

One of the appellation’s classic, old style offerings, the Michel family continues to produce an uncompromisingly long-lived, remarkably consistent Chateauneuf du Pape. The dark plum/purple-colored 2001 boasts a huge, Provencal-styled bouquet of ground pepper, lavender, roasted herbes de Provence, beef blood, and cranberry as well as black cherry liqueur. This perfumed effort exhibits sweet, broad, full-bodied flavors, moderately high tannin, and admirable density and chewiness. There are also hints of underbrush, new saddle leather, incense, and black fruits. This striking 2001 needs 1-3 years of cellaring. It will drink well for 12-15 years.

92 points,

Wine Spectator, December 2003

Supple and full of ripe, beautiful black fruit, this Provençal seducer coats the palate with its silky texture, delivering lavender, wet earth, mineral, smoke, lead pencil, plum and sweet tannins. Only on the finish does the tannic edge suggest short-term cellaring, but tempting now with steak or lamb. Another great achievement from Le Vieux Donjon. Drink now through 2012. 4,165 cases made. (PM)

About Winery

Le Vieux Donjon, as it exists today, was created in 1979 with the marriage of Lucien and Marie José Michel. Both Lucien and Marie José's parents owned vineyards in the region, and those holding were combined to form Le Vieux Donjon. The domaine covers fourteen hectares of vineyards (all farmed organically), thirteen planted to red grapes and one planted to white. The Michel's holdings are primarily in the North and Northwest of the AOC, but they also have small plots in the Southwest and East. Their most important parcel is Pialons, and the grapes from the 2008 come from that parcel as well as those in Cabrieres, Bois de Boursan, Les Marines and Le Mourre de Gaude. The soils are mainly limestone and clay, and are studded with the famed galets roulé, the round, rust-colored stones which were left behind after the retreat of the Alpine glaciers which once covered the region.

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