WTN: Young Donjon

Celebrated our 27th anniversary last night (?!?) with dinner at a favorite local spot, and had a 2022 Le Vieux Donjon CdP from the wine list to pair with a tasty merguez and shell-bean starter and seared duck breast with peas. Decanted immediately before serving, this was very good: layered fruit and earth, not explicitly oaky, some savory notes that played very well with the merguez especially, and felt nicely balanced even at 15%, wanting only a little more acidity to firm up the edges of the flavors. We’d had half-glasses of a Loire sparkling wine to start, and rather than ask one of the bartenders to pour the remaining 7 or 8 oz. back into the bottle for us to carry home, we left it with them to enjoy after service.

[David M. Bueker]

Happy anniversary! Time sure does fly.

Glad the main wine didn’t seem too over the top. I don’t know what happening from a winemaking standpoint at Donjon these days since Cambie passed away. Also no clue on 2022 in the Southern Rhône. Haven’t opened my bell weather wine from that vintage yet (Charvin CdR).

Timely post - I have a dozen vintages of this wine, a favourite of ours. Just pulled a 98 for tonight's dinner.

I haven't had the 2022 - my outlets are still selling the 2018! (Ack! - at $83 a bottle!)

[Jenise]

Bill, I haven't bought any since our vertical in DT Van way back when. The younger Cambie vintages were so oaky and disheartening that I gave up. Happy to see Patchen's comment that the oak wasn't in the way on this '22.

Bill, I haven't bought any since our vertical in DT Van way back when. The younger vintages were so oaky and disheartening that I gave up. Happy to hear Patchen's comment that the oak wasn't in the way on this '22.

Yes, that' encouraging. Might be time to do another vertical....?

I bought a handful of bottles of this from 2010, 2015 and 2016 before I knew about the change in style, and haven’t opened any of them, or maybe only one, I think because I was disappointed in myself for not doing my homework and feared I wouldn’t like the wine. Only one way to find out…