2022 ChevernyDomaine du Salvard
France | Loire
$22
Producers
The rounded riverbed stones, or galets roulés, of Vieux Télégraphe are an image indelibly etched into the mind of every member of the KLWM team. It is such a striking landscape, and Gail Skoff has snapped many iconic images of the famed terroir over the years. I couldn’t believe our good fortune when she unearthed from her extensive archives the roll of film gracing the cover of our February 2022 brochure: Kermit, Henri Brunier, and Henri’s son Frédéric, circa 1986, proudly and merrily posing among the vines on the plateau of La Crau in Châteauneuf-du-Pape that produces one of the most quintessential wines we import.
This special plot of land has delivered us many unforgettable “VTs” over the years, and the 2019 vintage is showing itself to be not only a distinguished and confident ambassador of its storied lineage, but also a tour de force with the panache to stand among the all-time greats. The domaine’s old vines in the terroir of La Crau produce some of the most exciting Grenache in the world, and the select blending of their other native grapes, along with a long, patient aging process in large, oval foudre casks, produces the magic of Vieux Télégraphe. The Brunier family created one of the most memorable VTs of my career in the 1989 vintage, and thirty years later the 2019 seems poised to follow a similar arc of development. -Dixon Brooke
KERMIT’S NOTES ON THE 1989 VINTAGE OF VIEUX TÉLÉGRAPHE
(From July 1991)
BURSTING AT THE SEAMS. That is the phrase that kept coming to mind as I tasted the 1989 Vieux Télégraphe. This is one of the larger wines produced by Vieux Télégraphe. It is built to last and built to please with a solid framework of tannin and alcohol. Yet as impressive as that foundation is, there is something that grabs your attention even more, a huge perfume that you can really feel trying to break free. Even that mighty 1989 structure can barely contain it, and with the passage of time that stoney, ripe perfume is going to intensify and swell until it does burst out to our grateful applause.
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2019 |
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: | 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: | Organic (practicing) |
Alcohol: | 14.5% |
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe France | Southern Rhône | Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe France | Southern Rhône | Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe France | Southern Rhône | Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe France | Southern Rhône | Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Vieux Télégraphe France | Southern Rhône
Domaine le Sang des Cailloux France | Southern Rhône | Vacqueyras
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.
The southern Rhône valley is Grenache country. It’s also known for its stones. With a viticulture history dating back well before the Popes arrived in the 12th century and one of France’s oldest appellations d'origine contrôlée, Châteauneuf-du-Pâpe, the southern Rhône is unquestionably one of France’s best known and premier winegrowing regions. The wines have the pedigree and age-worthiness of Burgundy and Bordeaux, but with a rustic, Mediterranean character. Like most wines from southern France, the reds, whites, and rosés are blends. Filling out the Grenache for the reds and rosés, you’ll often find Syrah, Carignan, Mourvèdre, and Cinsault. The common white grape varieties are Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Bourboulenc, Viognier, Roussane, and Marsanne among others. From the alluvial riverbed stones found in Lirac, Tavel, and Châteauneuf to the limestone cliffs of the Dentelles de Montmirail that influence Beaumes-de-Venise (where you’ll find excellent Muscat), Vacqueyras, and Gigondas, great terroir abounds.
Kermit’s entrance in the region came in the mid 1970s on his first trip with Richard Olney, an American ex-pat and friend of Alice Waters. On that trip, Richard introduced Kermit to the Brunier family of Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe. Soon after, Kermit began importing the Brunier’s wines—their Châteauneuf-du-Pape “La Crau” bottling remains a staple of our portfolio today. In the late 1990s Kermit teamed up with the Brunier family to purchase the famed Gigondas estate, Domaine Les Pallières. More than 40 years later, we now import wines from fifteen southern Rhône domaines spanning the entire area of the region.
Achard-Vincent France | Southern Rhône | Clairette de Die
Domaine Catherine Le Gœuil France | Southern Rhône | Cairanne
Domaine Le Sang des Cailloux France | Southern Rhône | Vacqueyras
Maxime-François Laurent France | Southern Rhône | Côtes du Rhône
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe France | Southern Rhône | Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Domaine Les Pallières France | Southern Rhône | Vin de France
Domaine Gramenon France | Southern Rhône | Côtes-du-Rhône
Famille Brunier France | Southern Rhône | Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Château de Trinquevedel France | Southern Rhône | Tavel
Achard-Vincent France | Southern Rhône | Clairette de Die
Vieux Télégraphe France | Southern Rhône
Famille Brunier France | Southern Rhône | Vin de Pays de Vaucluse
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
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