"The Daumen releases...which can be thought of as super-negociant wines where Jean-Paul is directly involved with all aspects of the vineyards and winemaking. In short, there are few wines I'd rather have on my table than those from Jean-Paul Daumen!" - Jeb Dunnuck
Jean-Paul is aware of the unique nature of an estate property in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and started to change his methods of vinification and blending in 2010. He moved away from blending in the winery and put all his focus on balanced field blends in the vineyard; the process of blending is now on a parcel by parcel basis, and not based on a grape by grape variety choice. Low yields are a priority at Vieille Julienne. Being held below 20hl per hectare, this leads to power, purity and concentration in his wines. The grapes are destemmed before co-fermentation in the cuverie, while aging takes place in a combination of foudres and old oak barrels. In short, these are “vineyard” wines of immense concentration, but little winery influence. In addition to his Vieille Julienne label, Jean-Paul is also making wines under his biodynamic negoc label Daumen. Even if these wines have the intention to be more accessible, they are anything but simple.
