Walls presents a taste of Vieux Télégraphe
Vieux Télégraphe, Blanc, Châteauneuf- du- Pape 2016 95
£ 52.99 House of Townend
Blend of 40% Clairette, 30% Grenache Blanc, 15% Roussanne, 15% Bourboulenc. Beautifully harmonious on the nose and palate, this is concentrated and intense with good freshness, and it’s very long indeed. Zesty, but has a little brown-sugar richness, alongside a toasty note on the mid-palate that brings complexity and food-friendliness. A little grapefruit pith note gives some structured bitterness.
Drink 2021-2024 Alcohol 14%
Vieux Télégraphe, Châteauneuf- duPape 2010 97
£48 (ib)-£64.35 Bordeaux Index, Christopher Piper, DBM Wines, Fine & Rare, Lay & Wheeler, Seckford Wines, SJ Wines
Remarkably deep in colour still. Has the deep, brooding meatiness of the vintage, meaty and bloody. Very full-bodied in the mouth but also very fresh with a strong tannic frame, really sturdy – it’s butch even for Châteauneuf. The alcohol is high, but it wears it well. Provençal herbs in the background on the very long finish. Great weight of tannins – arguably it still needs time, but a great wine is irresistible at any age. ‘A very, very ripe year, one of the five greatest vintages that we’ve made,’ says winemaker and owner Daniel Brunier.
Drink 2021-2038 Alc 14.5%
Vieux Télégraphe, Châteauneuf- duPape 2016 96
£ 38.33 (ib)-£74.10 Berry Bros Exchange, Christopher Keiller, Cru, Farr Vintners, Four Walls, In Vino Veritas, JN Wine, Le Vignoble, NY Wines of Cambridge, R&B Wines, Richard Kihl
One of the best vintages of the domaine.
‘ If you were to pull out five since 1960, the 2016 would be among them,’ says Daniel Brunier. Very immediate and open with blueberry, violet and griotte cherry. Full and lush in texture with a very fine tannic structure and lovely acidity too. The alcohol is present, but it’s balanced for Châteauneuf. Very harmonious, with great depth, and will be fantastic when it’s ready. Drink 2021-2035 Alc 14.5%
Vieux Télégraphe, Télégramme, Châteauneuf- du- Pape 2017 90 £ 18.32 (ib)-£40.50 Cambridge Wine Merchants, Christopher Keiller, Exel, Field & Fawcett, Hic, Highbury Vintners, JN Wine,
Justerini & Brooks, Le Vignoble, Palmers Wine Store, The Good Wine Shop, Vagabond
Very open, with transparent red fruits: strawberry, raspberry, violet and sage. Medium- to full-bodied, not complex, but certainly Châteauneuf. Sunny but well balanced with a big burst of Châteauneuf fruit for young drinking. This cuvée is made up of young vines from lieux-dits Pied Long and La Crau, and grapes issuing from all other parcels. Drink 2021-2022 Alc 14.5%