2005 Domaine Grand Veneur Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Origines
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Tasting notes
While the Vieilles Vignes bottling wasn’t made until 2006, the 2005 Châteauneuf du Pape Les Origines goes all the way back to 1998. The 2005 checks in as a blend of 55% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre and 15% Syrah that saw 16 months in 55% concrete tank and 45% in smaller barrels. It’s a ripe, full-throttle effort that gives up lots of roasted herbs, pan drippings, black licorice and darker fruits on the nose. This is followed by a medium to full-bodied, blockbuster styled effort that has beautiful purity, lots of texture and a sexy, hard-to-resist style. It freshens up in the glass, and while drinking nicely now, will have no problems evolving gracefully for another decade.
Critic scores
Jeb Dunnuck
Josh Raynolds
More reviews and scores
Absolutely stunning and the first sentence in my notebook starts with wow and includes other descriptors of stunning, wow and killer. Certainly one of the richest 2005s, the Domaine Grand Veneur Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Origines has blockbuster aromatics of rich raspberry, graphite, vanilla, spice and licorice. Despite the ripeness, there's not a hit of heat and it has some real depth. The palate is a full bodied powerhouse that is perfectly balanced, concentrated and with a massive midpalate and a seamless texture that carries into a long finish.
Dark ruby. Spicy cherry and cassis on the nose, with exotic herbs and incense adding interest. Lush, creamy and sweet, offering deep dark berry flavors and a spicy licorice quality. Picks up dusty tannins on the long, sweet, gripping finish. This shows excellent focus.
Deep violet. Rich and quite oaky on the nose, with ripe blackberry and candied plum aromas complicated by floral and tobacco accents. Focused, pure and deep, with the dark fruit flavors carrying impressively and maintaining their precision on the very long, spicy finish.