The old Donjon - Châteauneuf du Pape red 2007
Le Vieux Donjon is located in the region of Châteauneuf-du-Pape , 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 Domaine 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 in Vieux Donjon are over 100 years old. When they started, 95% of their wine production was sold for 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 with red grape varieties; they only produce a single cuvée in red, and a micro-cuvée in white.
Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2007 is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Cinsault . Half of the harvest is destemmed and the vinification is traditional. All the grape varieties, except Mourvèdre, are fermented together in concrete vats with indigenous yeasts. The maceration lasts 25 days then the wine is aged in tuns for 18 months .
The 2007 vintage in the Rhône was exceptional, particularly for the reds. For the southern Rhône, the growing season was surprisingly different from its northern counterpart. Spring was wet, but temperatures quickly rose to welcome a hot, dry summer with very little rainfall, although June saw a huge hailstorm with heavily reduced yields. Late September saw some rain but the Mistral winds mostly kept rot and disease at bay. Many producers have taken a risk by delaying the harvest to ensure that the grapes remain on the vines as long as possible.
Grapes: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault