Description

The Les Trois Sources has a dense, inky purple hue with rich, elegant aromas of red- and black-berry fruits, including raspberry, black cherry, cassis, complemented by herbal garrigue, liquorice, and hints of pepper and earth. On the palate it is powerful yet poised, with lush fruit, fine-grained tannins, refreshing acidity, and a long, minerally-saline finish.

With 10ha of vines at the very northern part of Châteauneuf du Pape and 5ha of Côtes du Rhône on the Lieu Dit Clavin, Vieille Julienne wines are far from the blockbusters produced by so many in the region during the past decade; they are completely unique, which explains why they are so sought after!

Harvesting is done entirely by hand, with an initial selection of grapes in the vineyard followed by a second sorting in the cellar. The grapes are fully destemmed and fermentation is carried out using only natural yeasts, with no added sulfites. Vatting takes place over 20 days in temperature-controlled concrete tanks, with gentle extraction methods used to preserve the integrity of the fruit. The vineyard is composed mainly of yellow sand mixed with clay and limestone, situated on north-facing terraces. The total surface area covers 8.5 hectares (21 acres), with a low yield of 19 hectolitres per hectare (approximately 7.6 hl per acre).

The vinification process remains entirely traditional, with fermentation occurring naturally and without any additives. Only indigenous yeasts are used, allowing each terroir to express its unique character and each vintage to reveal its singular identity. After a long, slow fermentation, the wines are transferred to large oak foudres for aging. They spend one year maturing in these old barrels, followed by six months in bottle. Bottling takes place after 18 months of aging, without fining or filtration.