Le Vieux Donjon - Châteauneuf du Pape rouge 2017
Le Vieux Donjon is located in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape region, in the Rhône Valley. In the 1900s, the Michel family produced grapes which they sold in bulk to merchants as well as barrels. The modern Estate was created by Lucien and Marie-José Michel in the late 1970s, which makes it young by European standards, but around a third of the vines at the Vieux Donjon are over 100 years old. At the start, 95% of the production of their wines was sold to the export. Today, the vineyard has just over 15 hectares of vines cultivated organically by their children, Claire and François Michel. These are almost exclusively planted in red grape varieties; they produce only one cuvée in red, and one micro-cuvée in white.
Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a blend of Grenache (75%), Syrah (10%), Mourvèdre (10%) and Cinsault (5%). Half of the harvest is destemmed and the vinification is traditional. All grape varieties, except Mourvèdre, are fermented together in a concrete tank with indigenous yeasts. The maceration lasts 25 days then the wine is aged in barrels for 18 months.
Grape varieties: 75% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre, 5% Cinsault