Vieux Telegraph Chateauneuf du Pape Rhone Wine

Vieux Telegraph, Chateauneuf du Pape, Rhone wine producer profile with wine tasting notes, wine ratings, a history of the property, information on wine making and terroir, along with wine tasting reviews and images. If you want to read about other important wineries and wine makers from the Rhone valley: Links to all Rhone Valley Wine Producer Profiles

Vieux Telegraph is one of the better known names in Chateauneuf du Pape. The Brunier family has been producing wines at in the appellation for over 100 years. Vieux Telegraph was founded in 1898 by Hippolyte Brunier, the great, grand father of the current owners. They chose the name Vieux Telegraph from an aging signal tower built in 1792 by Claude Chappe. Chappe is the inventor of the optical telegraph, so it’s a very fitting name. The first vintage to be produced and bottled at Vieux Telegraph was the 1900.

Vieux Telegraph produces 4 wines from their 65 hectares of vines located in Chateauneuf du Pape. The best parts of their vineyards are situated in the La Crau sector, on very stony soils. While the Domaine make several wines, the top wine from Les Vignobles Brunier is Vieux Telegraph. There are red and white versions of Vieux Telegraph and red and white versions of Le Telegramme. Vieux Telegraph is always produced from the estates oldest vines. Vieux Telegraph comes from fruit planted in La Crau on a terroir that is littered with large and small stones. Vieux Telegraph is usually a blend of 65% Grenache, 15% Mourvedre, 10% Cinsault and 10% Syrah.

The production of Vieux Telegraph and the domaines other wines remain traditional. Stems are removed in the majority of cases, only when destemming could break the skins or grapes are the stems allowed to remain attached. Young and Grapes are hand harvested and moved by gravity flow into the vatting room for fermentation where young and old vines are separated and placed into short, 100 hectoliter, oak barrels for maceration and fermentation. While fruit younger than 25 years is fermented separately from older vines, all the varietals are fermented in the same vats. Next, the wine is moved into concrete vats for 9 months before their being aged in 70 hectoliter fourdres.

A few changes have taken place over the past few decades. The Brunier family added to their holding when they purchased 25 hectares of vineyards in Gigondas in the late 1980′s to produce Domaine Roquete and Domaine Pallieres. In 1994, the labels of Vieux Telegraph changed. From that point forward, the domaine began including the La Crau designation on the labels, but the wine remained the same. Le Telegramme is produced from their younger vines.

www.vignoblesbrunier.fr