I purchased six bottles of 2001 Domaine de la Vielle Julienne VV CNP
on release a few years back and gave one as a gift and sold two to
friends that just had to have a bottle of this wine so this is the
first bottle I've opened. This is a wine that can blow your head
off. Very deep dark purple in the glass almost black in color.
Really thick ripe nose of blackberry and creme de cassis with a nose
burn from the 15.5% alcohol. The wine was fairly heavy bodied and
left a thick pink coating on the inside of the glass. Very big on the
palate. You can tell it's mainly Grenache (80%) but it's perhaps the
biggest glass of CNP I've ever experienced. More like Port than table
wine. The fruit is quite ripe and sweet and did I say HUGE?
Blackberry, blueberry, black cherry, cassis and kirsh with a creamy
vanilla finish. I didn't really like it but I couldn't stop drinking
it. Perhaps becasue I got quite drunk on the high alcohol content.
Not for the faint of heart and certainly not the kind of CNP that I
generally drink but something about it made me finish the bottle. I
wouldn't even know how to rate it.

"Bi!!" > wrote in message
...
>I purchased six bottles of 2001 Domaine de la Vielle Julienne VV CNP
> on release a few years back and gave one as a gift and sold two to
> friends that just had to have a bottle of this wine so this is the
> first bottle I've opened. This is a wine that can blow your head
> off. Very deep dark purple in the glass almost black in color.
> Really thick ripe nose of blackberry and creme de cassis with a nose
> burn from the 15.5% alcohol. The wine was fairly heavy bodied and
> left a thick pink coating on the inside of the glass. Very big on the
> palate. You can tell it's mainly Grenache (80%) but it's perhaps the
> biggest glass of CNP I've ever experienced. More like Port than table
> wine. The fruit is quite ripe and sweet and did I say HUGE?
> Blackberry, blueberry, black cherry, cassis and kirsh with a creamy
> vanilla finish. I didn't really like it but I couldn't stop drinking
> it. Perhaps becasue I got quite drunk on the high alcohol content.
> Not for the faint of heart and certainly not the kind of CNP that I
> generally drink but something about it made me finish the bottle. I
> wouldn't even know how to rate it.

the 15.5% alcohol.

bloody hell, real head banger stuff, not a summer luncheon wine

JT

JT wrote:
> the 15.5% alcohol.
> bloody hell, real head banger stuff, not a summer luncheon wine
>

Yes, I confess I'm starting to have a real problem with some of the
alcohol levels coming from the southern Rhone. God forbid you
should have to drive anywhere after drinking this juice. Long
live those pretty Mosels at 10 degrees!

Thanks for the note Bill, I've heard about this one but never
tried. Doesn't sound like one to seek out, really!

-E

Emery Davis wrote:
> JT wrote:
>> the 15.5% alcohol.
>> bloody hell, real head banger stuff, not a summer luncheon wine
>>
>
> Yes, I confess I'm starting to have a real problem with some of the
> alcohol levels coming from the southern Rhone. God forbid you
> should have to drive anywhere after drinking this juice. Long
> live those pretty Mosels at 10 degrees!
>
> Thanks for the note Bill, I've heard about this one but never
> tried. Doesn't sound like one to seek out, really!

Yes, the creeping levels of alcohol are a definite worry, just as
they've been in much of the New World. IIRC, this particular wine was
lauded to high heaven by a certain Md-based critic. The notes certainly
don't sound out of line with his recent predilections. Thanks for
taking one for the team, Bill.

Mark Lipton

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