2015 Châteauneuf-du-Pape “Télégramme”
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe
Heavy rains late in the 2002 growing season, rare for the normally dry and hot southern Rhône, left many growers fearing their crop would be diluted by the water. Assessing the quality of the fruit throughout harvest and vinification made it clear to brothers Daniel and Frédéric Brunier of Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe that the vintage would give a much lighter wine, lacking the color, power, and concentration that had come to typify their Châteauneuf-du-Pape. They decided to create a second label, and so the Télégramme was born. The wine was an instant success: consumers relished the wine’s soft tannins and utter drinkability. It became a staple of the Brunier portfolio, as they continued to produce it from the younger vines, about 80% Grenache, on the stony plateau of La Crau. While the sunny 2015 vintage bears little resemblance to 2002, this wine has all the perfume, plush fruit, and ethereal structure to please right away.
—Anthony Lynch
| Wine Type: | red |
| Vintage: | 2015 |
| Bottle Size: | 750mL |
| Blend: | 90% Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre |
| Appellation: | Châteauneuf-du-Pape |
| Country: | France |
| Region: | Southern Rhône |
| Producer: | Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe |
| Winemaker: | Frédéric & Daniel Brunier |
| Soil: | Alluvial deposits, Limestone, Silica, and Molasse (red clay) with galets roulés |
| 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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Vintage Chart Mentality
Vintage Chart Mentality
Trust the great winemakers, trust the great vineyards. Your wine merchant might even be trustworthy. In the long run, that vintage strip may be the least important guide to quality on your bottle of wine.—Kermit Lynch