Chateauneuf Du Pape Vieux Telegraphe La Crau 2020

Châteauneuf Du Pape Vieux Télégraphe 'La Crau', Famille Brunier, Southern Rhone, France, 2020  

Grapes: 60% Grenache, 20% Mourvèdre, 15% Syrah and 5% Cinsault & Clairette, hand-picked, partial destemming, fermented in both steel & wooden cuves, 20-22 months in French oak, bottled unfined & unfiltered

Dense ruby/purple-tinged with an exquisite nose of salty sea breezes, liquorice, ground pepper, jammy black cherries, blackcurrants, figs, and plums, this is a full-bodied, rich, offering with lots of sweet, ripe tannin. It is surprisingly accessible for a Vieux Telegraphe (this wine normally shuts down several years after bottling), but it should have great longevity (25+ years) given its power, full-bodied mouth feel, and enormous length and richness.

Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe does indeed derive its name from an old telegraph station, one which was once sited on the hill where this Châteauneuf domaine now stands

The Vieux Télégraphe vineyards are unusual in that they lie in a single block, on the La Crau plateau, today covering an area of 70 hectares. The ground is covered by the galets roules, the large rounded stones which originated in the Alps to the east, and were transported down to lower lands by the action of floodwaters. They are classically associated with the vineyards of Châteauneuf du Pape, although they can also be found in other areas across the south of France. Beneath these stones there is a more organic soil, up to 1.5m deep, a molasse deposited here during the Miocene era, and then deeper again there is a red clay. The vines average an impressive 50 years of age, with a significant proportion old enough to draw their pension at 65 years.

Danile Brunier says of the 2020 vintage: "The 2020 vintage was very dry until the end—maybe a bit too dry—but the rains in November and December 2019 helped, and the low yield means you don't see the dryness, because the vines didn't suffer. Harvest began August 22 or 23, and we finished on September 19. The fruit was so clean, the weather so dry, it was easy to pick."

"Tasted as a tank sample of the final blend, the 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape La Crau is a blend of approximately 60% Grenache, 20% Mourvèdre, 15% Syrah and 5% other permitted varieties, with about 30% whole bunches used in the ferments. Marked by ripe cherries and hints of complex garrigue notes on the nose, it's full-bodied but also really elegant, with fine-grained, silky tannins, ample concentration and a long, surprisingly crisp finish."

(93-95/100) points, Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate, May 2022

Drink with spicy lamb or chicken dishes, strong cheeses.