2022 Dm de la Vieille Julienne les Trois Sources Chateauneuf du Pape, Southern Rhone

The 2022 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Trois Sources comes from a terroir similar to the Reserve and is based on 70% Grenache, 10% Cinsault, 5% each Syrah, Mourvédre, and Counoise, and the rest a mix of varieties. Ripe blackberries, roosted garrigue, loamy soil, licorice, and a kiss of graphite all emerge on the nose, and this beauty hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a layered, seamless mouthfeel, beautiful yet building tannins, and a great finish. It's slightly more open and expressive than the Les Hauts-Lieux, yet I suspect both of these cuvées will cruise for two decodes.

97 points Jeb Dunnuck

Blend of Grenache (approx 70%), Cinsault, Syrah, Counoise, Mourvèdre, and 5% total of other varieties Muscardin, Terret noir, Vaccarèse, White Grenache, Bourboulenc, Clairette and Picardan.  This has been a strong performer over the years   
The thing that sets this wine apart from many is the quality of its tannin. Thick and stony, such presence and grip, and it’s so pleasing to swish around in the mouth in that way. There’s red and black fruits, liquorice, dried herb, new leather with a rosy mouth-perfume. There’s something of a dark rye bread thing here, balanced but unobtrusive acidity, with a long dry finish showing just a touch of warmth, though nothing untoward. It’s a potent wine, that offers heaps of character.

94+ points Gary Walsh The Wine Front 

Good sense of vibrancy, very much on the red fruit. Full but not massive, good acidity and sense of freshness. The tannins are quite chewy and fairly robust, so give this time. Lots of energy on the long finish, it's well balanced and not overly full. Slightly leathery touch to the tannins. Three terraces on sandy soils. Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, Counoise, Mourédre, Muscardin, Terret Noir, Vaccarése, Grenache Blanc, Clairette and Picardan, with an average age of 75 years, all coplanted and cofermented.

94 points Matt Walls Decanter

Shows subdued, hidden power and a gorgeous texture, though this is just beginning to unfurl. Warm earth, brown bread and toasted anise notes infuse a perfumed core of red fruit. Racy acidity keeps the tension high, and there's a licorice snap detail on the finish, which is defined, smoky and long. Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, Mourvèdre and Counoise.

94 points, Wine Spectator

The delicious 2022 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Trois Sources is on par with the quality achieved in 2019 and 2020. Glossy red fruits, melted licorice, leafy undertones and crushed violets jump out of the glass. Touching the palate with a juicy core of concentrated fruit and bright acidity, the 2022 neatly captures the necessary freshness required to balance a full-bodied red with over 15% alcohol. Structured and refined, it will start showing at its best from 2027 onwards.

93 points, Nicolas Greinacher, Vinous

Crafted from vines planted in the Cabrières sector on sandy soils, the 2022 Les Trois Sources, a blend of 60% Grenache mixplanted with Syrah, Cinsault, Counoise and Mourvèdre, offers aromas of rose, peony, iris, dark cherries and violets. Medium to full-bodied, structured and dense, it’s perfectly balanced with a long, tense elegant core of fruit and a mineral, delicately bitter finish. More floral than Clavin, it could age over the next decade and over.

93 points, Yohan Castaing, The Wine Advocate

Les Trois Sources is often considered the heart and soul of Domaine de la Vieille Julienne. Jean Paul Daumen farms these old vine parcels biodynamically among the famous galets roulés of Châteauneuf du Pape, where the sun soaked stones radiate warmth into the vines long after sunset. The vineyard takes its name from the natural springs that run beneath the site, helping preserve freshness and balance even in warm vintages. It is one of the great modern expressions of southern Rhône Grenache, though the wine is always far more complex than a single variety story.

The 2022 vintage is deep, layered and wonderfully alive. Ripe black cherry, plum and wild raspberry build into notes of liquorice, dried rosemary, black olive and smoky spice. There is a beautiful savoury edge that keeps the wine grounded, with hints of ironstone, lavender and warm earth adding dimension as it opens in the glass. Old vine Grenache delivers richness and silkiness, while Mourvèdre and Counoise bring structure, spice and tension. Despite the concentration, the wine glides rather than stomps, finishing long, mineral and hauntingly perfumed.

This is the kind of bottle that turns dinner into an occasion. Slow roasted lamb shoulder with garlic and thyme would be a classic match, though it would also shine beside duck cassoulet, grilled quail or smoky aubergine dishes loaded with herbs and olive oil. Decant it for an hour if drinking young, otherwise tuck a few bottles away and watch it evolve over the next 15 to 20 years. Few producers capture the soul of Châteauneuf du Pape with such honesty and detail.