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2012 Châteauneuf-du-Pape “La Crau”
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe
There is probably no wine more identifiable to our company than VT, as most of us call it around here. Kermit calls it Vieux Télé. The quality and longevity of this noble Rhône red is so incredibly consistent that we almost take it for granted (stress on the almost). As the number of offers hitting your inbox and mailbox climbs to unprecedented highs, it is important to step back and remember the tried and true, the old reliables that remain the best and surest investments in fine wine today. It is also important to remember the heights that old-vine Grenache can reach when planted on these arid, stony plateaus in the shadows of Mount Ventoux. Brothers Daniel and Frédéric Brunier own one of the most enviable sites in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the magical moonscape of La Crau. Their terroir, their savoir-faire, and their steadfast adherence to tradition have kept these wines among the world’s best, and also among its greatest price-to-quality ratios when you consider their proven track record for aging and developing into marvels. Thirty-plus vintages with KLWM and still going strong, VT remains a pride and a joy to sell and to enjoy. –Dixon Brooke
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2012 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | 65% Grenache, 15% Mourvèdre, 15% Syrah, 5% (Cinsault, Clairette, et al) |
Appellation: | Châteauneuf-du-Pape |
Country: | France |
Region: | Southern Rhône |
Winemaker: | Frédéric & Daniel Brunier |
Vineyard: | 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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Kermit once said...

Kermit once said...
I want you to realize once and for all: Even the winemaker does not know what aging is going to do to a new vintage; Robert Parker does not know; I do not know. We all make educated (hopefully) guesses about what the future will bring, but guesses they are. And one of the pleasures of a wine cellar is the opportunity it provides for you to witness the evolution of your various selections. Living wines have ups and downs just as people do, periods of glory and dog days, too. If wine did not remind me of real life, I would not care about it so much.
Inspiring Thirst, page 171