2022 ChevernyDomaine du Salvard
France | Loire
$22
Producers
by Anthony Lynch
The Nobility of Great Châteauneuf at Your Fingertips
2020 Châteauneuf-du-Pape “Télégramme”
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe France | Southern Rhône | Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Use promo code VT20 at checkout to take 20% off, now through April 2
If Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe’s “La Crau,” the Brunier family’s cuvée produced from Châteauneuf-du-Pape’s eponymous stone-covered plateau, has inscribed itself in wine lore over decades of superb, long-lived vintages, it’s no coincidence. It is made from ancient vines—seventy years old on average, with some sectors surpassing the century mark—firmly entrenched in the appellation’s most celebrated terroir, where the seasoned roots of gnarled Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah, Cinsault, and others dig through a thick layer of riverbed stones to access the coolness found deep beneath the sunbaked surface.
The Bruniers’ La Crau holdings, however, are not all mature enough to produce the intense, concentrated fruit that defines the “La Crau” bottling. Over the years, certain parts of the vineyard have been replanted, while missing vines here and there lost to natural causes have been replaced. The fruit from these younger vines is united in the Télégramme bottling, which the Bruniers have produced since 2002, when an uncharacteristically rainy season gave what they feared would be a watered-down version of Vieux Télégraphe. To their surprise, the newborn cuvée was silky and seductive, providing so much immediate pleasure that customers begged them to make it again. Since then, it has become a mainstay of the Brunier lineup, offering a taste of the greatness of “La Crau” with less of the imposing structure that demands bottle age to reach a velvety apex. Today, the young-vine fruit is supplemented by splashes of old-vine Châteauneuf from sites a stone’s throw, so to speak, from La Crau, bolstering Télégramme’s complexity without sacrificing its plush, toothsome texture.
If Télégramme is more about fruit than stones, it is still undeniably Châteauneuf, expressing the nobility of carefully farmed Grenache from the Rhône’s finest terroirs. This unfiltered bottling from the excellent 2020 vintage—a more classic, sun-filled year than that fateful 2002—is one of the best editions to date, with sensual red fruit that is both mouth-filling and weightless, as luxurious as it is accessible. Perfect for enjoying now and over the next few years, it is an ideal match for the delicate flavors of spring lamb, roasted spring vegetables, or whatever other fresh, seasonal flavors are on your plate.
If Télégramme is more about fruit than stones, it is still undeniably Châteauneuf, expressing the nobility of carefully farmed Grenache from the Rhône’s finest terroirs.
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2020 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 6% Mourvèdre, 4% Cinsault |
Appellation: | Châteauneuf-du-Pape |
Country: | France |
Region: | Southern Rhône |
Producer: | Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe |
Winemaker: | Brunier Family |
Vineyard: | 40 years average |
Soil: | Alluvial deposits, Limestone, Silica, and Molasse (red clay) with galets roulés |
Aging: | Wine rests in cement tank for 10 months, and then ages for another 6 months in foudres |
Farming: | Organic (practicing) |
Alcohol: | 14.5% |
Use promo code VT20 at checkout to take 20% off, now through April 2
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
Achard-Vincent France | Southern Rhône | Clairette de Die
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.
Domaine Les Pallières France | Southern Rhône | Vin de France
Domaine de Durban France | Southern Rhône | Gigondas
Maxime François Laurent France | Southern Rhône | Côtes-du-Rhône
Selected by Kermit Lynch France | Southern Rhône
Famille Brunier France | Southern Rhône | Vin de Pays de Vaucluse
Domaine de Durban France | Southern Rhône | Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise
Vieux Télégraphe France | Southern Rhône
Domaine Les Pallières France | Southern Rhône | Gigondas
Domaine de Durban France | Southern Rhône | Beaumes-de-Venise
Gaël Petit France | Southern Rhône | Tavel
Domaine Gallety France | Southern Rhône | Côtes du Vivarais
Famille Brunier France | Southern Rhône | Vin de Pays de Vaucluse
Great winemakers, great terroirs, there is never any hurry. And I no longer buy into this idea of “peak” maturity. Great winemakers, great terroirs, their wines offer different pleasures at different ages.
Inspiring Thirst, page 312
Drinking distilled spirits, beer, coolers, wine and other alcoholic beverages may increase cancer risk, and, during pregnancy, can cause birth defects. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/alcohol
Many food and beverage cans have linings containing bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical known to cause harm to the female reproductive system. Jar lids and bottle caps may also contain BPA. You can be exposed to BPA when you consume foods or beverages packaged in these containers. For more information, go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/bpa