2022 Domaine de la Vieille Julienne Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France

The Moment

Some Châteauneuf-du-Pape is built around sheer size.
Others are built around power with poise.

The 2022 Domaine de la Vieille Julienne Châteauneuf-du-Pape “Les Trois Sources” feels like the kind of bottle that lands beautifully in that second lane — full of southern Rhône depth, but with enough lift, structure, and savory detail to keep it feeling alive instead of heavy. Coming from a terroir between Clavin and Les Hauts-Lieux, where a mosaic of sandy safres, pebbles, and red clays gives the wine its balance of power and finesse.

This is also a classic southern Rhône blend in a very compelling register. The 2022 is built from 70% Grenache, 10% Cinsault, 5% each Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Counoise, plus the rest mixed varieties, a wine that is already expressive but clearly built to age. 

What It Feels Like

Think lamb on the table, dusk settling in, and a bottle that starts generous but keeps revealing more structure and savory detail the longer it sits in the glass.

What makes this wine work is the tension between dark fruit and herbal-spiced earthiness. Blackberries, plums, garrigue, loam, graphite, licorice, toasted anise, smoke, and florals. That combination is exactly what makes great Châteauneuf feel so complete — broad enough for a real dinner, but energetic enough to keep pulling you back in.

In the Glass

Aromatics
Blackberries, plums, roasted garrigue, loamy soil, licorice, graphite, and a touch of leather.

Palate
Medium- to full-bodied and layered, with ripe dark fruit, warm earth, toasted anise, smoke, and a precise, savory core. . 

Texture
Seamless and mouth-filling, with beautiful but building tannins that give the wine real shape.

Finish
Long, smoky, spicy, and persistent, with racy acidity and a licorice snap holding everything together.

Why We Love This Bottle

Classic Châteauneuf With Real Lift
This is not just generous fruit and heat. The critics repeatedly point to acidity, precision, and tension, which is exactly what keeps the wine feeling serious and not overblown.

Savory In The Best Way
Garrigue, loam, graphite, toasted anise, smoke, licorice — makes this feel deeply Rhône and deeply food-worthy. 

Built To Age, But Already Compelling
Several critics say it will improve with time, but the current notes also make clear that the 2022 already has a lot to offer in the glass. Wine Spectator recommends 2027–2040, while James Suckling says drink or hold.

Pair It With

• Lamb
• Braised beef
• Duck
• Mushroom dishes
• Aged cheeses

Technical Notes

Producer: Domaine de la Vieille Julienne
Wine: Châteauneuf-du-Pape “Les Trois Sources”
Vintage: 2022
Region: Rhône, France
Appellation: Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Blend: 70% Grenache, 10% Cinsault, 5% Syrah, 5% Mourvèdre, 5% Counoise, plus the rest mixed permitted varieties.

Terroir:
Located on a mild slope between Clavin and Les Hauts-Lieux, with sandy safres, pebbles, and red clays.

Body: Medium-Full
Structure: Building tannins · racy acidity · layered fruit · long smoky finish

Flavor Profile
Blackberry · Plum · Garrigue · Loam · Licorice · Graphite · Toasted Anise · Smoke

Drink Window
2025–2040

2024 Bruno Giacosa Roero Arneis DOCG | Piedmont White Wine

The Moment

Some Italian whites are built around brightness.
Others are built around brightness with a little more shape.

The 2024 Bruno Giacosa Roero Arneis feels like the kind of bottle that lands right in that beautiful middle space — floral, fresh, and lifted, but with enough sapidity and depth to make it feel complete at the table. An intense bouquet with acacia flowers, peach, and lemon, while the palate is fresh and marked by a good sapidity that gives the wine length and persistence. Green mango, pineapple, white flowers, and a hint of flint, medium- to full-bodied with real depth and a tangy finish. 

What It Feels Like

Think crudo, a plate of prosciutto, and a white that feels sunny at first but quietly more serious the longer it sits in the glass.

What makes this wine work is the balance between floral-fruited generosity and savory mineral tension. Acacia, peach, lemon, green mango, and pineapple make it welcoming, while the wet-stone, flint, and sapid finish keep it from ever feeling soft or anonymous. This is exactly the kind of white that can please people who want something expressive, but still clean and food-friendly. 

In the Glass

Aromatics
Acacia flowers, peach, lemon, white flowers, green mango, and pineapple.

Palate
Fresh and lifted, with peach, melon, citrus, and tropical fruit carried by a savory mineral line. 

Texture
Medium-bodied but still light on its feet, with more shape than a simple crisp white.

Finish
Tangy, sapid, and persistent, with floral fruit and mineral energy carrying through the close.

Why We Love This Bottle

Arneis With Real Character
This is not just fresh and easy. The acacia, peach, flint, wet stone, and savory finish give it more personality than a lot of straightforward white wines.

A Beautiful Balance Of Fruit And Mineral
The best thing about the 2024 notes is how clearly they hold both sides together — fruit and flowers up front, then sapidity, flint, and wet stone underneath.

A Very Useful Food White
It is perfectly suited to pair with crudo and vitello tonnato, which tells you a lot about how well this wine should work on a real table.

Pair It With

• Crudo
• Vitello tonnato
• Prosciutto and melon
• Grilled white fish
• Soft cheeses

Technical Notes

Producer: Bruno Giacosa
Wine: Roero Arneis DOCG
Vintage: 2024
Region: Piedmont, Italy
Grape: Arneis.

Style Notes:
Acacia flowers, peach, lemon, freshness, and a sapid finish. Critics add green mango, pineapple, white flowers, flint, melon, chive, basil, and wet stone.

Body: Medium
Structure: Fresh acidity · floral lift · sapid mineral finish

Flavor Profile
Acacia Flower · Peach · Lemon · Green Mango · Pineapple · Melon · Flint · Wet Stone

Drink Window
Now–2028