Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape Télégramme 2017

Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape Télégramme 2017 

Following our false start at ordering this wine at our dining out restaurant experience over the weekend, featured in a blogpost in these pages, I had a taste for this wine, and happened to have a bottle on hand at our limited cellar collection at our Cove vacation rental home in Florida. 

We’re staying at the Cove, our favorite vacation rental in Destin Florida for the week to attend the SoWal (South Walton Beaches) Wine Festival in Sandestin this coming weekend. Linda and I arrived a week early, and look forward to being joined by our Pour Boys wine group as the week progresses. 

Linda prepared delicious Beef Bourgogne, which was ideally paired with this wine for an optimal wine food combination. As readers of these pages know, I regularly write about the importance of proper food and wine pairing, which serves to multiply and enhance the enjoyment of both. 

Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape Télégramme 2017 

We know this producer and wine well having visited the Chateau and Estate in Châteauneuf du Pape in the Southern Rhône River valley outside Avignon on a couple occasions dating back to 1998 and most recently in 2019.  Our visit to the Vieux Télégraphe estate and meeting owner/winemaker Daniel Brunier (left) was a highlight of our Rhone Valley Wine Experience in 2019.

The estates lies in the Châteauneuf -du-Pape AOC (Appellation Original Controlee) in the Rhone River Valley that stretches from Orange to Avignon.

Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe has been run by the Brunier family for five generations dating back to 1891. The estate’s vineyards average 60 years of age on the Plateau of La Crau, a site known for growing Châteauneuf-du-Pape grape varietals.

The estate is named for the telegraph towers that sat on the site dating back to the early visual signal towers that were invented and deployed as far back as 1792. Lines of relay towers were built within line-of-sight of each other at distances of 5–20 miles. Tower operators would watch adjacent towers through a spyglass for signals produced by mechanical shutter arms and would pass the message on to the next tower. These early systems were faster and less expensive than horse drawn riders. These lines were a precursor of the electrical telegraph which would replace them half a century later.

The estate wines are known for their distinctive terroir signature of predominant minerality from filtering through the thick layer of large pebbles left behind when the Alpine glaciers melted, long before the Rhône Valley formed.

We hold Vieux Télégraphe wines dating back three decades to the early 1980's.  

Winemaker (s): Frédéric & Daniel Brunier 

The blend for this release is 90% Grenache and 10% Mourvèdre with a slight bit of Syrah.

Winemaker's Tasting Notes: Châteauneuf-du-Pape seriously dominated by Grenache, which confers very singular suppleness and roundness. Best savored young.

This is the second wine of Vieux Telegraphe. Typically composed of Grenache with Syrah, Mourvedre and Cinsault from mostly young vines it often includes grapes from 45 year old vines at Château La Roquette.

This release was awarded 93 points by James Suckling, 92 points by Jeb Dunnuck and by Wine Spectator and 90 points by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate.

Dark Ruby colored, medium-full bodied, complex classic brambly red and black raspberry and plum fruits with notes of gariggue, herbs, floral and spice from the Grenache, and cracked pepper with hints of cassis on the moderate long, rich, ripe tannin finish. 

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?3131593

http://www.vieux-telegraphe.fr/en/

Two nights later, we enjoyed finishing up the leftovers of the Beef Bourgogne, and opened from our cellar collection here this aged vintage Bordeaux, which also served as an optimal pairing.

https://www.cellartracker.com/barcode.asp?iWine=328095

Chateau La Nerthe CDP 2013

Château La Nerthe Châteauneuf du Pape 2013 BYOB for Angeli's Italian family dinner outing

Friday night dinner at Angelis Italian, our favorite neighborhood Italian Trattoria, with Alec and Vivianna, I took from the cellar BYOB this complex big red. 

We tasted this wine when together we visited Château La Nerthe during our Châteauneuf du Pape Wine Experience in 2019. 

I write in more detail about this producer and label in my blogpost of that event. 

Tonight, for starters we had from the Specials Menu, Meatballs with Ricotta Cheese and the Gnocci Gorgonzola. For my entree selection I had the special Pork Loin with Port Wine with Artichokes, Portabella Mushrooms and roasted potatoes (shown), great pairings with our Rhone blend. 

As I wrote in my blogpost about our visit to the Château La Nerthe estate, Château La Nerthe is one of the oldest estates in Châteauneuf du Pape dating back to 1560. The historic chateau was built in 1736. Château La Nerthe was one of the first estates to bottle their own wine. 

The owners of La Nerthe are the Richard family in a partnership with negociants David and Foillard took over the property in 1986. They completely renovated the estate and replanted much of the vineyards.  In 1991, Château La Nerthe expanded their holdings with the purchase of 22 hectares of vines, which helped to create one of the largest estates in the Southern Rhone with 90 hectares under vine.

Starting with the 2015 vintage, Ralph Garcin was placed in charge of the estate and its winemaking. Previously Ralph Garcin was working for Jaboulet in Hermitage.

The 90 hectare vineyard of Château La Nerthe has a terroir of rock, sand, clay and loam soils. Much of the vineyards and the chateau are located at the estate southeast of the village, sixty hectares of the vineyards in two large blocks adjacent and in front of the Chateau.

The remaining 30 hectares are behind the chateau and abut the plateau of La Crau (shown right), has the classic Rhone valley rocks and stones, known as galets in the region. 

The vineyards of Château La Nerthe are planted with all 13 types of grapes allowed in the Châteauneuf du Pape appellation.

While the property has plantings of all 13 of the appellation’s permitted varietals, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah dominate the red blend. The estate has one of the highest proportions of white vines in the region and produces a special white cuvée – Clos de Beauvenir – sourced from grapes from the clos directly in front of the château. Chateau La Nerthe produces 3 red Châteauneuf du Pape wines and 2 Châteauneuf du Pape Blanc wines. 

 

We tasted the Clos de Beauvenir premium white label together at another dinner outing when we dined together last fall Al Fresco at Suzettes Creperie in nearby Wheaton (IL). 

Château La Nerthe Châteauneuf du Pape 2013

This is the flagship label of Château La Nerthe Châteauneuf du Pape. The typical blend of Chateau La Nerthe Châteauneuf du Pape is 55% Grenache, 17% Syrah, 15% Mourvedre, 7% Cinsault, 3% Counoise and the remaining 3% is a blend of the other varietals planted in the vineyard.

Close to 15,000 cases are produced each year.

At nine years of age, this is likely at or nearing the apex of its drinkability, the fill level, label, foil and cork were in perfect condition. 

This was a outstanding representation of the 2013 vintage. It showed deep garnet color with purple sprites, medium bodied, rich full complex but well balanced and integrated black cherry, strawberry, red and black fruits, with notes of spice, tobacco, cedar, sandalwood, and balsamic, turning to a smooth polished finish of round fine-grained delicate tannins. 

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2031809

https://www.chateaulanerthe.com/

 

Kirkland Signature Chateauneuf du Pape 2019

Kirkland Signature Chateauneuf du Pape 2019

Colleague and wine buddy Michael alerted me to the Kirkland Signature private label wine bottlings from big-box warehouse retailer Costco. Hard to belief perhaps, but they are actually the largest retail wine merchant in the world. They sell a select offering of popular well known producers as well as lesser known brands. They also market their own private label portfolio under the Kirkland Signature brand and label. Kirkland is the Costco brand named for their hometown in suburban Seattle where they are headquartered.

This week's visit to Costco was the first time I noticed the Kirkland Signature Brand in this Chateauneuf du Pape (CdP). For several years they offered a  Kirkland Signature Chateauneuf du Pape that was produced by Chateau de Nalys through the 2016 release, up until the producer of this Kirkland wine for many vintages, was acquired in 2017 by well known Rhone producer Guigal.

The change in ownership may have resulted in a missed vintage release in 2017. In any event the 2018 vintage Costco Chateauneuf du Pape was attributed to a new different producer. The wine was previously made by Domaine de Nalys, as it was displayed on the front label, but was replaced with "Cuvee du Terroir des Papes" with the 2018 release. The back label indicated the new winemaker was Guillaume Gonnet, who makes a number of wines under his own label, including several from CdP.

Owner and winemaker of his family’s Châteauneuf du Pape estate since 2006, 'Guillaume Gonnet Vigneron', was created by Guillaume and his Australian wife Kelly. Guillaume Gonnet wines are the realization of their dream to pursue the potential of Southern Rhône grape varieties in varing terroir in the South of France.

Before joining his family as third generation winemaker, Guillaume travelled the world working in some of the most famous wineries in Bordeaux, Burgundy, The Napa Valley, New Zealand and finally in Australia where he met his future wife.

Seeking to craft their own wines they set out to sought out distinctive “terroir” to showcase their wines to expression all of the environmental elements that affect the quality of the grapes and, ultimately, the characteristics of the wine.

Guillaume Gonnet wines were the realization of their dream to pursue the potential of Southern Rhône grape varieties from the varying terroir in the South of France, when they purchased their own plots in Chateauneuf du Pape in 2015. 

With their vines, and selected parcels, Guillaume produce wine that reflects their philosophy for winemaking - Minimal interference with the “terroir effect”, and striving to obtain the right blend of Southern Rhone varieties - Grenache, Syrah and Mouvèdre, to attain complexity, balance and soft, elegant tannins, practicing an approach to aging using very little wood influence.

Today, Guillaume and Kelly produce a range of wines representing a number of appellations in the Southern Rhône including Côtes du Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Village, Lirac, Cairanne, Tavel and of course, Châteauneuf du Pape.

Kirkland Signature Chateauneuf du Pape "Cuvee du Terroir des Papes" 2019

The varietal breakdown in the blend of this wine is composed the primary required Chateauneuf-du-Pape varietals, 70% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre and 10% Cinsault.

The Costco wine writer/blogger writes that this 2019 Chateauneuf-du-Pape, created by Gonnet, represents the four terroirs of Chateauneuf-du-Pape; river stones, limestones, clay and sand. While rated as a good wine, it is noted as not the same caliber as the 2018, or the 2016.  "It ticks just a small notch below."

The Costco reviewer writes, "The 2019 vintage pours a medium ruby in the glass; earthy nose, coffee grounds, some dark berry fruit. The wine is medium plus in body with good flavor, mostly dark fruit, blackberry, plum, anise; it is spicy and peppery in the finish with nice acidity.'

'This is a good wine but perhaps just a little disjointed in its youth. While the 2018 was given 90 points, the 2019 was rated 88 points."

They cite that this is great value at around $20 since CDP's often cost $35 and more. I found it appropriately priced at this point.

I found this garnet colored, medium bodied, but the blackberry and plum fruits showed tangy acidity but were a bit flabby and offset by a slight green pepper note with muted tones of anise, spice and tobacco. It was best represented with creamy mozzarella cheese.

RM 87 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3955099

http://www.guillaumegonnet.com/