Log in / Sign up Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf-du-Pape La Crau Magnum 1.5L 2019
“It’s the soil,” insists Daniel Brunier, of the rocky field where the vines of Domaine Vieux Telegraphe are planted. The plateau of La Crau ascends 130 meters above sea level where a unique terrain and micro-climate help to develop the wines of Vieux Telegraphe in the AOC (Controlled Designation of Origin) of Chateauneuf-Du-Pape. Considered unfit for cultivation, its soil a thankless proposition due to a high density of pebbles; this is where Henri Brunier, in 1891, lay claim to what would become one of the most iconic Domaines in all of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. What began as a small and potentially impossible endeavour, has turned into a family empire that now controls 247 acres in Southern Rhone, producing 16,000 bottles annually.
Braised or slow cooked meats with vegetable and tomato flavours
With the red Vieux Télégraphe [2019], the first impression is a nose of extremely ripe red berry fruits and spice. It is not at all heavy: cute, and structured, with a slight “licorice and vanilla pod” vibe, appealingly fresh, deep, and vinous. On the palate, an attractive and serene attack, not at all violent, fairly conventional. The ripe fruit on the nose is well contained: it comes on slowly, and you are taken over by a handsome “old fashioned” frame, mixed with the berry fruits; it is very vinous, mineral, salty, smoky, slightly austere, and graphic. This is a vintage that reminds us where we come from; where the tannic structure outlines the wine without forcing itself upon you; and it maybe also reminds us of the late ‘80s Daniel Brunier
