2018 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Trois Sources Vieille Julienne

True to form, the 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Trois Sources is a softer, more elegant wine than the Les Hauts-Lieux and offers a gorgeous perfume of black cherries, black licorice, tapenade, violets, herbes de Provence, and jus de viande. Deep, full-bodied, and beautifully layered, it gains weight with time in the glass and is going to benefit from just short-term cellaring. It doesn’t have the concentration for any long-term cellaring yet my money is on it evolving nicely for a solid 10-12 years.

Spicy, fresh, sweet, ripe red fruits, herbs, thyme, flowers and pepper open the medium-bodied, kirsch packed wine. The soft, inviting palate delivers ripe, red cherries, kirsch and spicy black raspberries from start to finish. This will be just great on release and should deliver the goods for at least decade or longer.

The 2018 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Trois Sources is showing wonderfully, opening in the glass with dark cherry and plum aromas, strawberry, leather and a dash of white pepper. Full-bodied, concentrated and framed by slightly drying tannins it is well-balanced by refreshing acidity, closing with a savory finish. Due to the presence of mildew, only half the normal amount of production was achieved.