It’s hard to imagine Daniel Brunier doing anything other than presiding over two domaines in the southern Rhône Valley, Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Les Pallières in Gigondas. After all, he seems as committed, energetic, and curious today as he was when he and his brother Frédéric took the reins from their father, Henri, at Vieux Télégraphe in 1988. But Daniel turned sixty last year and recently welcomed his first grandchild, so it’s also hard not to think of what succession will look like at these two iconic domaines.
      Last spring, Daniel meditated on the sixth generation to enter the family’s wine business—Daniel’s son Edouard, as well as his niece Manon and nephew Nicolas. “Introducing three new people from the family over the last five years,” he said, “is maybe more difficult than it is to make ten great vintages in a row.” This statement underscores a point we may not talk about enough: when it comes to multigenerational winemaking families, harmony and understanding between father and son or uncle and niece are often as important as, if not more than, any of the terroir or technical details.
      Fortunately for the Bruniers, as intense as assimilating the next generation may have been—and continues to be—the reward of accordance has been just as profound. “I remember the first blending among the five of us,” Daniel said. “It was our first big decision together. After two or three hours of tasting, everything was done. When you are on the same page about what an ideal red from Vieux Télégraphe or Pallières should taste like, it’s done. And that was, for me, a great day—maybe the best day of my life.”
      These two cuvées from Les Pallières show the complete harmony of the Bruniers. They are appellation-defining reds, remarkable for their balance and refinement.