Domaine de la Charbonniere, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Vieilles Vignes

This remains my favourite cuvée of this wine. Rustic, solid, manyly, sings of the land, with grenache playing the bass. Good spice, good acidity, to be had with a hearty dish. Not for the faint at heart

2022 vintage

Medium garnet with almost no browning. Smells like a barrel of red licorice candy with crushed dark flower petals. This is an ethereal, feminine wine that is absolutely aged to perfection. Strawberries, a hint of sage and even more garrigue, and a lightness that hints of fine aged burgundy.

1995 vintage

Brick red; leather, hot grit, spikey, blossoms with air, ‘warm’ fruit; fulsome, grippy, this has an edge & shows its age. Has a fiery potency & powers through to the finish. Time in hand.

1995 vintage

Same rating as two years ago, enjoyable but not a huge amount of flavor.

2008 vintage

Well evolved in terms of colour. On the nose not much fruit, a hint of dried fruit maybe, forest notes, spices, slightly barnyardy at first. On the palate bright acidity, spicy, again not much fruit. Decent length but pretty tart and drying finish. Past its peak based on this bottle - drink up. 86-87

1995 vintage

As others have observed possibly just past its peak, but this was a delicious, gently mature Chateauneuf. Unspectacular but very satisfying.........

1995 vintage

Darkly colored. Aromas of grape juice and black cherries. The overall gestalt here is it tastes kind of burnt and very ripe. Tastes like roasted red meat, garigue mid-palate and with a zesty finish that seems to have some salinity. May have some modest upside with some more time in the bottle. 88

2008 vintage

decanted 2 hrs, about right.typical cndp flavors. should improve. Fell flat when tasting with a delicious Australian John Duval GSM.

2008 vintage

PnP from wine fridge -- this was much more aromatic at cooler temps, so drink this one cool (wine from bottle kept upright in wine fridge was more aromatic than that from decanter at room temp). Primary with red fruit, kirsch, with floral and meat notes, but drinking well now. Enough structure & tannins for balance, this can age for a few years, but I don't see this as a long-time ager, so drink over the next 8-10 years when …

2008 vintage

Evolving very nicely. Earth cherry and spice on the nose, long finish. Paired well with Asian food. Drink now or hold door another ten years.

2008 vintage

Very well balanced. Great value.

2008 vintage

Almost changed this to 92 points.... The tannin edge has softened and the fruit and background spices are just blooming right now.... Very nice wine.

2008 vintage

Bright fruit with a nice acidity that made it go well with charcuterie and cheese. Enjoyable in a non-cerebral sort of a way.

2008 vintage

Well, looks like my last bottle was faulty rather than just mediocre. This bottle was totally 'a point', dark in colour, nose of blood, camphor and sweet dried fruit. Palate was silky, no heat, grippy tannin but such a glossy mouth feel and a fantastic savoury classical style. Long finish. Super tasty mature CNdP and great value at c£20.

1995 vintage

Popped and poured. Medium transparent ruby. Very nice drop. Very secondary. Forest floor and autumn notes on the nose. Tastes of tea and minerals. Fruit has faded, but balanced and delicious. Interesting mature grenache notes on the finish.

1995 vintage

Young wine but starting to delivery already. Fresh fruit with a background of earth and cocoa. Medium body, smooth mouth with slight tannic edge. Flavor matches the nose with crisp fruits, berry and earth. I am sure this will evolve with time and the fruits and organic qualities will merge into a fine wine made for enjoyment. Looking forward to trying this again in a year or two.

2008 vintage

Just pure, pure, pure. Great equilibrium between buoyant fruit and crisp acidity, and a delightful if slightly tempered finish. From what the sisters told me in June, this is made from what's typically used for the traditional cuvee, and also what was harvested from (and is usually bottled seperately as) the Hautes des Brusquieres and the Vieilles Vignes parcels. Well, you can certainly tell. Much in the same way as you can tell Julien Barroche's 2008 has a bit more …

2008 vintage

Berry Bros 2008 Rhone tasting (1 Great George Street, London) : Hints of chocolate. Very good balance and structure. Will improve?. Lovely in full mouthful.

2008 vintage

This wine has aged well and seems to have reached peak or just over it. It has fantastically preserved it acidity and the minerals are in full display. Was excellent with Foi Gras.

1995 vintage

Colour red but starting to fade at the rim - a fine deep ruby-red at the center. On the nose plenty of kirch, garrigue, smoke, menthol and honey. Surprisingly sweet but with a fine backbone as well. Fully open and ready for business - for the first time. Another late bloomer from the '95 viintage. Excellent.

1995 vintage

Last and best of the lot. Not über-corked like the last one. Well balanced, with lovely developed dark fruits and spice. Great with the grilled stuff outside at John's.

1995 vintage

Pulled up from the cellar at 1 pm, popped, and it is seriously corked. Hmmmmm.....can't take this one back. After pouring out a small glass, I ripped of a rather big sheet of saran wrap (generic), twisted it narrow, shoved it down the neck of the bottle and stirred. Gave it a stir every hour or so. By 7:30 it was quite drinkable. A bit of tca in the background, but nothing compared to 6 1/2 hrs. ago.

1995 vintage

Good color, no bricking, no fading. Very leather-tobacco nose. After 1/2 hr decant well-balanced and smooth. No monster.

1995 vintage

A Regal Lunch at Charles' Home (London, England) : Dark crimson in color, this was a light to medium bodied wine that was drinking surprisingly well given what I've heard of "tight" '95s. Definitely some tannins still to resolve but also very open and a good match with the lamb. I know Nigel felt this was better for current drinking than the Pegau, but the Pegau was much more to my liking, both for now and the future. 50+11+11+8+7 = …

1995 vintage

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Domaine de la Charbonniere, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Vieilles Vignes

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