Jean-Paul Daumen joined his family Domaine in the 1992 vintage and has taken it to new heights. Working only 10 hectares of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and 5 hectares of Côtes du Rhône, he has farmed his land biodynamically since 2000. La Vieille Julienne is unique in that the vineyards lie on the northern edge of the appellation, and they are all north facing the only contiguous north-facing estate in the entire region. This allows a later, slower maturation of the grapes and ever-present elegance and balance. Jean-Paul walks his vineyards during harvest marking the plants that should be picked and waiting on others. He truly works his vineyard plant by plant, not parcel by parcel. Grapes are co-harvested and co-fermented.

Les Trois Sources Châteauneuf-du-Pape is located on a mild terroir of slopes, between lieu-dit Clavin and les Hauts-lieux, the grenache is perfectly at home there with this mosaic of safres’s sands, pebbles and red clays, producing a perfect balance of power and finesse. The Les Trois Sources parcels are lower elevation and lie on primarily sandy soil. These parcels are earlier ripening and contain some of the oldest Grenache vines on the estate. The very special Réservé cuvée lies on the Les Trois Sources parcels, in fact. After harvest, the grapes are co-fermented, naturally and without sulfur, in concrete, and then aged in foudres. The winemaking is very much hands-off, and the cuvée is really made in the vineyard.