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2005 Châteauneuf-du-Pape “La Crau”
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe
Daniel wrote to me after the bottling of the 2005: For me it is without a doubt the greatest vintage since 1998, and our third grand vintage in a row. If I had to choose my favorite three wines of the last three decades, I’d say 1978, 1998, and 2005. The color is deep and complex. The wine is at once pleasure, richness, depth, and freshness. The body is velvety and not at all aggressive. You smell the stones, the minerality, a smokiness, the magnificent old-vines Grenache fruit ... I believe that the tannins are better integrated than in any previous vintage. It is as pow-erful as any we’ve made, but more elegant, more noble. It is ageworthy. How long? A client brought us a superb 1933 Vieux Télégraphe the other day, so who knows.
Rich, ripe fruit, chewy flesh, and that telltale mineral finish make this vintage of VT perfect for enjoying right now.
**Extremely limited quantities, maximum three bottles per purchase**
—Anthony Lynch
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2005 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | 65% Grenache, 15% Mourvèdre, 15% Syrah, 5% (Cinsault, Clairette, et al) |
Appellation: | Châteauneuf-du-Pape |
Country: | France |
Region: | Southern Rhône |
Producer: | Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe |
Winemaker: | Frédéric & Daniel Brunier |
Vineyard: | 65 ha, 20 to 60 years |
Soil: | Alluvial deposits, Limestone, Silica, and Molasse (red clay) with galets roulés |
Aging: | Wine rests in cuves for 10 months, and then ages for another 12 months in foudres, wine is bottled unfiltered, after 22 months of aging |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 14.5% |
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About The Producer
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe
One cannot think of Châteauneuf-du-Pape without thinking of Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe. The Brunier family is legendary in its own right, having been rooted to the plateau known as La Crau for over a century. The wines of Vieux Télégraphe evoke terroir in its purest form, reflecting the dramatic climate, the rough terrain, the sun exposure at a high altitude, the typicity of the varietals, and of course, the influence of their caretakers, the Brunier family. For many, La Crau is Châteauneuf-du-Pape’s grandest cru. The wines of V.T. are classic, displaying strength, rusticity, and tremendous longevity. Their goal is to find a harmony between aromatic complexity, tannic structure, and richness, which they achieve year after year.
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Kermit once said...

Kermit once said...
When buying red Burgundy, I think we should remember:
1. Big wines do not age better than light wine.
2. A so-called great vintage at the outset does not guarantee a great vintage for the duration.
3. A so-called off vintage at the outset does not mean the wines do not have a brilliant future ahead of them.
4. Red Burgundy should not taste like Guigal Côte-Rôtie, even if most wine writers wish it would.
5. Don’t follow leaders; watch yer parking meters.
Inspiring Thirst, page 174