What’s the only thing we look forward to more than seeing Britney freed from her father’s tyrannical rule??

Getting this 97 point CdP in our hands! And finally, it’s here. Today! We can’t believe it.

When we got wind of this one over a year ago, it seemed too good to be true. A couple of years ago, you could not find a single bottle of this anywhere. The 2016 earned the #5 spot of Wine Spectator’s Top-100 wines of the year countdown. Then it simply vanished from the market as collectors across the globe scooped it up at inflated prices from any retailer who still had some.

But it was nowhere to be found. Thus began the wait for the sold-out-upon-release 2017 vintage. How did we get some? Wish we could say. How did we get some – at this price??

Don’t worry about it. Let’s dig into what makes this such an extraordinary wine, one Jeb Dunnuck called a “naked, raw expression….opulent, sexy and fruit-loaded”.

“Vieille Julienne’s wines are some of the longest-lived in the appellation,” Wine Spectator wrote, “Les Trois Sources comes from the Domaine’s sandy soil parcels, which impart a silky elegance to the typically powerful fruit profile of Grenache, the lead variety.”

Sand. Very, very few grow on sand. Decanter explains “The red wines of Châteauneuf range from beefy to ‘Burgundian’. If you want beefy, look for galets roulés. If you want ‘Burgundian’, look for sand. ‘Fine, fresh wines’ was the three-word summary of Emmanuel Raynaud, as we strode out on a cool, wet April morning to look at the key vineyard sites of Château Rayas, whose wine incarnates the ‘Grenache on sand’ style…”

Remember, a bottle of Rayas averages over $1,400. You can have this sand-grown 97 pointer today for a mere 50 bucks. Assuming you move quickly.

What’s in the glass? Speechless, we leave that part to Jeb’s raving review below. He could not have put it more eloquently…

97 Points – Jeb Dunnuck

“Vieille Julienne’s Jean-Paul Daumen is unquestionably one of the most talented winemakers in all of France. Since taking over the Domaine in 1990, the estate has gone from strength to strength, and the list of truly extraordinary wines from this small terroir located on the northern edge of Châteauneuf-du-Pape is mind-boggling. And there are no secrets; Jean-Paul focuses first and foremost on his vineyards, which are all farmed organically and sustainably, minuscule yields, no SO2 during vinification, aging in neutral foudres and tank, and bottling unfined and unfiltered. The result is a naked, raw expression of this magical terroir and old vines. Speaking about the 2016 vintage, Jean-Paul called it an enormous vintage, comparing it to 2001 yet with a style all its own, and commented that the wines were powerful yet also delicate. I can’t disagree, and the Châteauneuf-du-Papes across the board are monumental wines. You don’t have to splurge for the Reserve cuvée either, since the Les Trois Sources and Haut-Lieux releases are both extraordinary wines. In short, there are few wines I’d rather have in my cellar (or better yet, on my dinner table), than those from Jean-Paul Daumen! Leading off the three Châteauneuf du Papes, the 2017 Châteauneuf du Pape Les Trois Sources comes from more sandy soils just across the road from the estate. It always shares more stylistic similarities with the Réserve and is more opulent, sexy, and fruit loaded compared to the Hauts-Lieux cuvée. This 2017 is spectacular, offering loads of black fruits, black licorice, ground herbs, violets, and some obvious loamy soil and mineral-like aromas and flavors. Full-bodied, expansive, and multi-dimensional, this is another singular wine from Jean-Paul Daumen that tastes like the essence of this stunning terroir. Drink 2021-2041.”