Le Vieux Donjon - Châteauneuf-du-Pape rouge 2023

Bettane & Desseauve

About the estate:

Starting in 1979, Marie-José and Lucien Michel managed this estate before handing it over in 2008 to their daughter Claire Michel-Fabre, who was joined by her brother François in 2012. While the cellars are located in the village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, this small 17-hectare estate is situated in the northern part of the appellation. With its smooth, floral, and very elegant profile, Le Vieux Donjon stands out as one of the leading examples of the refined and elegant style expected from a prestigious appellation like Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the wine:

With its pure, intense fruit, the 2023 Châteauneuf-du-Pape red takes us on a journey through the maquis before revealing notes of potpourri. With its slender, muscular body—more elegant than full-bodied—it showcases its soft texture, which envelops delicate tannins. A great success.

About the estate:

The wines of Domaine du Vieux Donjon are among the finest, most elegant, and most consistent in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation. This production should serve as a model for young winemakers who wish to produce refined Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines—not merely imposing ones. A meticulous and talented winemaker, Lucien Michel has gradually handed over the reins to his two children: Claire, who joined in 2007, and François, a trained agricultural engineer, in 2012. This new generation harmoniously continues the style that has built the estate’s reputation, with two top-tier cuvées. The wines are vinified in concrete tanks and aged in large oak casks. The white is a blend of equal parts Clairette and Roussanne. The reds are only partially destemmed, which does not prevent them from being delicate. The estate owns vineyards in some of the appellation’s finest terroirs (8 hectares in Pied Long, beautiful plots in Cabrières, Rayas, Cristia—purchased in 2013—Pied de Baud, Bois de Boursan, Le Mourre de Gaud, and others). It should be noted that the estate is expanding by 0.5 hectares at the lower end of Cabrières, with white vines of Clairette Blanche and Clairette Rose.

Jancis Robinson

James Suckling

About the wine:

An alluring, complex, velvety, and well-balanced Châteauneuf-du-Pape, with aromas of cherries, strawberries, dried herbs, tar, and baking spices. It is full-bodied, with fine tannins. Delicious and well-structured. It is elegant, yet full of character and structure. It is refined, seductive, and flavorful, with a long finish. Ready to drink or worth cellaring.

Jeb Dunnuck

About the wine:

With a deeper, semi-opaque ruby color, the 2023 Châteauneuf-du-Pape reveals ultra-classic aromas of ripe black cherries, peppery meats, garrigue, lavender, and hints of sandalwood. Composed of 75% Grenache, 10% Syrah and Mourvèdre, and 5% Cinsault, it was partially destemmed, vinified in concrete tanks, and aged for 12 months in large casks. It is medium-bodied and offers a pure, complex, and elegant palate, ultra-fine tannins, and a lovely finish. It fits into the vintage’s more charming and direct style, but everything is in its place, with perfect balance, and it is simply full of charm and character. Best enjoyed between 2025 and 2045.