2022 Dm de La Vieille Julienne Lieu-dit Clavin Cote du Rhone, Northern Rhone

There is something quietly compelling about Jean Paul Daumen’s wines. Biodynamic farming, old vines, tiny yields and an almost obsessive respect for the land have made Domaine de la Vieille Julienne one of the great names of the southern Rhône, even if this bottling technically sits under the humble Côtes du Rhône appellation. Clavin comes from a lieu dit just outside Châteauneuf du Pape, planted on galets roulés and limestone soils that deliver remarkable depth and savoury detail for the category. Many producers would happily bottle this as a prestige cuvée. Daumen instead lets the vineyard speak without fanfare.

The 2022 vintage brings generosity and warmth, though there is plenty of freshness holding everything together. Grenache leads the charge with its silky red fruits and spice, backed by Mourvèdre and Counoise adding darker tones, herbs and structure. Raspberry, wild strawberry and black cherry roll into cracked pepper, thyme, lavender and warm earth. There is a beautiful Rhône wildness here, the kind that smells faintly of sun baked scrubland after rain. The texture is supple yet energetic, with fine tannins carrying the wine through a long savoury finish that feels far more serious than most Côtes du Rhône.

This is the sort of bottle that shines with slow cooked lamb shoulder, rosemary roasted potatoes or smoky grilled eggplant with tahini and pomegranate. It would also be superb with duck sausages, cassoulet or a late evening platter of charcuterie while something soulful spins in the background. Give it a short decant now or cellar comfortably over the next 8 to 12 years.