Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf du Pape 2006

Description

Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf du Pape is considered one of the best examples of Chateauneuf du Pape, arguably the most famous appellation of the Southern Rhone. The estate is known for producing full-bodied, complex and age-worthy wines that showcase the unique terroir of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Vieux Telegraphe has been family-owned and run by the Brunier family since 1891. It is a fairly large estate in the Southern Rhone comprising some 45 hectares of vineyards, with an average vine age of 60 years old, located on the plateau of Le Crau (as noted on the label). Le Crau is situated in the southeast of the appellation, where the villages of Bédarrides, Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Courthézon meet. The terroir here imparts highly distinctive minerality to the wines as if they have been filtered through the thick layer of large pebbles left behind when the Alpine glaciers melted, long before the Rhône Valley formed. The soils here with the large round pebbles are known as “galets roules”. The plateau of Le Crau has its own microclimate that is warmer than the surrounding areas, indeed, the Bruniers are able to harvest up to one week earlier than their neighbours.

Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf du Pape is typically a blend of around 65% Grenache, 15% Mourvedre, 15% Syrah and 5% comprised of Cinsault, Clairette and others (famously, up to 12 grape varieties can be used in Chateauneuf du Pape). The grapes are hand-harvested by double sorting in the vineyard and a third sorting at the winery. The grapes undergo a gentle pressing and some destemming followed by 25-40 days’ traditional fermentation in temperature–controlled stainless-steel and wooden vats. The grapes are then pressed pneumatically and the wine then undergoes malolactic fermentation. The wine is aged for 20 to 22 months in French oak foudres (6000 litre barrels) and bottled unfined and unfiltered after 2 years.