Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe. Châteauneuf-du-Pape
One of the highlights of our trip to
Provence and Chateauneuf-du-Pape was a visit to Domaine du
Vieux Télégraphe. Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the most renowned wine producing area
in the Southern Rhône River Valley.
All wines produced by Domaine du
Vieux Télégraphe are estate wines, sourced from grapes grown on Domaine
land and vineyards. The main estate vineyards are on the plateau
above the Rhone River valley known as La Crau, the highest vineyard site
in the appellation. The vines dates back over a hundred years with an average age
of 60 years old.
The broad portfolio of wines of
Vieux Télégraphe each reflect the terroir of the diversity of the Domaine
sites from across the region from where the grapes are sourced. The premier
site of the cru La Crau label boasts the unique signature rough rocky terrain with
pebble predominant soil left behind from the Alpine glaciers that formed the Rhône
Valley.
The galets roulés, or rounded stones, (shown on display in the tasting room) allow for extraordinary
drainage for the roots and also retain heat from the day’s sun so as to continue
ripening the fruit during the night. This results in classic wines from grapes
grown on the site that manifest vibrant fruit with depth, concentration, and
filtered-through-stones minerality that provides excellent freshness.
The proximity of the high altitude
also subjects the site to the elements — rain, hail, brilliant sunshine, and
the legendary and notorious Mistral winds that rush up the Rhone valley from
the south. The result is that the Mistral also work to prevent rot in the
grapes. The Mistral winds also cause the viticulture practice in the Southern Rhone of cropping the vines closer to the ground.
Arguably one of the best wines
sourced from one of the best vineyards in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Télégraphe has
earned a reputation for consistency, producing smooth, complex and
sophisticated yet approachable, enjoyable wines in the region known for strength,
rusticity, earthiness, and tremendous longevity.
We hold numerous vintages of Télégraphe
wine in our cellar and have enjoyed vintages dating back to the late seventies the 1978,
and the early eighties including 1981, ‘82, ‘83, ‘85 and ‘86 releases.
The recent 2015 vintage of the flagship cru La Crau was awarded 96 points by James Suckling, 95 points
by Wine Spectator, 94 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and Vinous, and 93 points by Jeb
Dunnuck. The most recent 2016 vintage was awarded 98 points by James Suckling, 96 points
by Wine Spectator, and 93-95 points Vinous.
We were honored to be hosted by Daniel Brunier, owner, proprietor and winemaker. He and his brother Frédéric are
fourth generation caretakers of the property that has been in the family since
1891.
The vineyard was first planted upon the La Crau plateau and the Domaine was
established in 1898 by their great-grandfather, Hippolyte Brunier.
Hippolyte Brunier was a modest
farmer who lived off the land and maintained a couple acres of vines to make
his own wines. The small vineyard was at one of the highest points in between
Châteauneuf-du-Pape and the nearby village of Bédarrides, so the site was thereby
selected for the construction of a communication tower in the late 18th century
to transmit telegraph messages between Marseille and Paris, hence the name
Vieux Telegraph.
Hippolyte produced wines from the site
that were highly regarded and he continued to increase his vineyard
plantings to forty acres. He was joined by his sons working the
vineyards and farm, and was eventually joined by his grandson, Henri. In
time, Henri eventually replanted the vineyards, constructed a new
winery and brought technical innovations such as temperature controls to
the winery to protect the wines during fermentation. Henri released the
Domaine’s first branded label bottlings under the Vieux Télégraphe
label.
The renowned wine merchant distributor Kermit Lynch met
Henri and his wife, Maguey, in the mid-seventies and they formed a
collaborative venture Domaine Les Pallières. Henri began to filter the
wine around 1980 but Kermit suggested that the blend remain unfiltered.
After tasting the results of several vintages, the Bruniers returned to
an unfiltered bottling for their entire production, a practice that remains to this day.
Henri
retired in 1988 when management and oversight of the Domaine was taken
over by his two sons, Daniel and Frédéric. They worked to significantly
expand the family’s holdings on La Crau to one hundred-seventy acres and
expanded and upgraded the winemaking operations and facilities
significantly. The nearly 170 vineyard acres are planted with
Chateauneuf-du-Pape sanctioned varietals of Grenache (65%), Syrah (15%),
Mourvédre (15%), and Cinsault (5%).
It was a pleasure meeting
and being hosted by Daniel Brunier, fourth generation caretaker of the
property. He is an astute and consummate professional in the business
that is also his passion for the family brand and fine wine. He was
generous of his time but diligent and judicious to understand our
objectives for the visit and our time together.
Daniel is the public face of the
brand as well as the business manager so he is accustomed to courting the
press, analysts and critics who can have such a substantial impact on a label, brand
and vintage release of a wine. He also can speak to the most precise details of
the viticulture, winemaking and all aspects of the business.
He shared the history of the Domaine, their philosophy
and strategy for producing optimal wines that reflect the terroir of their
individual sites across the region. He showed us the new production facility that
was expanded in 2006. This accommodates the increased production from the additional
Domaine vineyards added in Chateuneuf-du-Pape and vineyards in Gigondas. He
emphasized that all the fruit is estate grown, that they purchase “not one kilo, not
one liter” for their production. He stressed the importance of the technology
and facilities that provide for gravity fed production processes avoiding pumps
which might otherwise agitate the grapes.
Alain spoke with pride, passion, authority and
confidence on the accomplishments of the domaine, and the care and
attention to detail in every respect, and how that manifests in consistency of the brand, even in challenging vintages. He described how in 2002, Vieux Télégraphe released their
second label known as Télégramme, produced from grapes from the younger but still
over twenty year old vines.
The challenged 2002 vintage
experienced torrential rains and flooding around harvest time prompting the
Bruniers to downgrade “La Crau” to the subsequent label to be christened “Télégramme,”
The popularity and success of the label prompted Daniel and Frédéric to produce
the cuvée yearly from fruit they deem suitable, but not worthy of the “La Crau”
flagship label.
Télégramme provides an approachable
wine that is ready to drink when young, at a more moderate price-point, ideal
for restaurants, younger wine drinkers developing their knowledge and pallet for
fine wines, for those exploring the offerings of Châteauneuf-du-Pape without
investing in the premier cru’s, and for wine lovers who do not have a cellar
for aging.
Télégramme is elegant, complex and
sophisticated yet smooth and enjoyable with bright vibrant fruit, freshness,
and approachable nicely integrated tannins.
Les Vieux Télégraphe has grown from 90
acres in the mid-1970s to 170 acres with the acquisition of another Châteauneuf estate, Domaine la Roquète, which is
run by Daniel’s brother Frédéric, and an estate in Gigondas.
When acquired in 1986, Domaine la Roquète was planted with relatively young vines, but as they matured, the wines have gained in quality with more depth, richness, concentration and complexity.
In 2004, the L’Accent de la Roquète label was added with 90% Grenache and 10% Mourvèdre fruit sourced from the two Lieu Dits of Pialons and Pignan. This produced purity, elegance and a wonderful fruit profile that was a distinctive counterpoint to the earthy and masculine Vieux Télégraphe. Since 2011, there has been one white and one red wine from
Domaine La Roquete, called l’Accent de la Roquete. only about 2,500 cases from the estate’s oldest vines. The balance of the fruit
is co-mingled in the blend of Telegramme.
They also acquired and developed Domaine Les Pallières, in a collaborative partnership with the noted merchant exporter (importer to America) Kermit Lynch, in the nearby commune and appellation of Gigondas.
Domaine Les Pallières was a long
standing highly rated and respected property of the Southern Rhone. It was
ideally situated outside the village of Gigondas in the foothills of the Dentelles
de Montmirail. The domaine had been a continuously operated farm within the
same family since the fifteenth century. Les Pallières was a famous domaine
with wines of high quality and character but over time, the property fell
into disrepair. Two great frosts of the twentieth century killed off many of
the olive and fruit trees, and both the winery and the vineyards were badly in
need of restoration and upgrading. The former owners, the Roux brothers lacked
any successors to take their place so in 1998, they decided to sell.
The vineyards of Domaine les
Pallières in Gigondas range from 250-400 meters in altitude, with varying
proportions of sand and clay intermixed with layers of limestone descending from the
Dentelles. In 2007. the property was divided into two cuvées representing the
personalities or terroir of the upper and lower reaches of the property: Cuvée
“Les Racines” sourced from the vineyard parcels surrounding the winery — the
origin of the domaine with the oldest vines that provides freshness and
extravagant fruit, from near the cellars; and "Terrasse du Diable", from higher
up where there is more limestone.
Crafting two different cuvées proved
to be brilliant as it reveals dramatic distinctive different characters and
tasting profiles that tend to appeal to the different tastes of the younger more
neophyte tasters vs more seasoned mature members, which was validated by our group. Alain
described to the group the subtleties of the different profiles and how and why
they appeal to the different groups.
A new winery was built to receive
the harvested parcels individually in gravity-fed tanks. The many lieux-dits,
once blended into one cuvée of Gigondas, have been separated into two, starting
with the 2007 vintage, the result being an expression of the two distinctive characters
reflecting the diverse terroir of the two levels of the site.
‘We wanted different characters,’ Daniel
explained. ‘The velvet of Racines, as opposed to the freshness and vivacity of
Terrasse – wines for different times or occasions.’
We tasted both during our visit and
were split amongst the group on our preference, the younger set preferring the Racines
whilst the older members preferring the Terrasse.
We were able to find and acquire
both labels upon our return in the Chicago marketplace at Binny’s, albeit in limited
quantities. Prior to our visit, we would not have realized they were affiliated
with or owned by Vieux Telegraph.
Domaine les
Pallières also produces a Rose', so popular in the wines of Southern France. Au
Petit Bonheur Les Pallières is the only Vin
de France produced by the Brunier family in the
Rhône Valley. It is a blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Clairette grapes. It is pressed straight after hand picking and then the blend is fermented and matured in oak, in 650-litre demi-muids.
It is bottled at the end of the
winter after harvesting with slight
filtration resulting in a crisp, brilliant appearance,
freshness, elegance and fullness of the lieu-dit Les
Pallières,
The Brunier
brothers have worked hard to maintain the legacy left by their father, Henri,
and their great-grandfather, Hippolyte. They have masterfully applied their expertise and tradecraft
to produce the best possible wines that represent the diversity of the various terroirs
of the southern Rhône through the expansion of their portfolio of properties, and
their wines and labels that best represent the vast variation of terroir - soil
types, climatic conditions, and grape varieties.
Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant site writes of the Vieux Telegraphe portfolio: “The
Bruniers’ vineyards in the La Crau cru of Châteauneuf-du-Pape are the
most pedigreed of the appellation, producing wines of exceptional quality and
longevity. Since purchasing Domaine La Roquète in 1986, the family has
complemented their portfolio with additional wines, offering more affordable cuvées
that showcase the diversity of terroirs within their holdings. The
“Pigeoulet” and “Mégaphone” are fresh, rich in fruit, pleasantly representative
of their terroir, and easy to appreciate young. The red Châteauneuf
“Piedlong”, sourced from the famed Piélong lieu-dit with some fruit from
the Pignan vineyard as well, is a profoundly mineral wine that balances
elegance and purity with the muscle that is commonly found in wines from this
great appellation.”
The Bruniers have also expanded in a
joint-venture in Lebanon called Massaya.
Daniel is also a patron of fine art and has introduced
art into the winery experience with exhibitions throughout the facility of
original contemporary works. Our tour was a veritable art exhibit from the chai
to the barrel room to the bottling rooms, the tasting room and the main hall.
They
write in their announcement of the exhibits, “The
craft of making wine is in itself an artistic endeavor. To take something raw
and coerce it into something beautiful, letting the natural elements speak for
themselves, not interfering through manipulation, but through guidance — this
is what we strive to do at Vieux Télégraphe. We have a respect for beauty, and
for those who want to make the world a more beautiful place. For this reason,
we are pleased to announce that we have opened our winery this summer to five
local artists that have filled the rooms and halls of our caveau with
their creations."
One notable work by local artist Florent Touchot is in the tasting
room that features a bottle of the grand cru La Crau CDP.
The exhibition of art and wine
runs from July 1st to September 30th.
We
were captivated by the work of Florent Touchot who works in plastic and photography, using raw, urban materials, as
well as plexiglass. His works are a technique combining collage, mirouflage,
and acrylic with pieces of posters recovered either directly on the walls of
Paris and Marseille, or in the subway or flea markets. The three dimensional effects serve to reveal intriguing different images depending on the angle and lighting. His works in the barrel room
showcased his contemporary art in three dimensions and multi-media featuring a
bottle of Domaine Vieux Telegraphe, a apartment building and the Port of
Marseille, the Louve in Paris and our favorite, the famous legendary Flatiron
Building in New York.
We were quite taken by the Flatiron piece since it is
in the neighborhood where Alec and Vivianna live and where Alec works. We
discussed it at length over lunch prompting us to go back and view it again
intent on acquiring it, until we realized on second visit, that we missed a
decimal point and it was €28000, not €2800!
The bright colorful dramatic
striking works of Stephane Leberloa showcase the main hall, tasting room and
the bottling and production rooms: Having never taken a single art class,
Leberloa's paintings are figurative on an abstract basis.
Bruniers write of his
works, “His paintings are spontaneous, not of any particular thought. He does
not sketch and generally, his paintings are made of lightening. He does not
want to seduce or carry a message. He is just trying to scratch, to write, to
mark what he has in him and that we all have in our humanity.”
The barrel room also serves as a sculpture gallery featuring the work of Sourski and Julien Allègre. Sourski works with sandstone or bronze
sculptures, false
fragility of porcelain arises on steel, the heat of the wood touches a part in
bronze.
Julien Allègre's sculptures
bear witness for his admiration of nature. Here metal finds its expressiveness
through roughness and oxidation, it is reincarnated and invested with
extraordinary vitality. Starting from already formed objects, he frees the
material from any functional need.
 |
| Artwork in the Vieux Telegraphe caves. |
What a special treat to combine in one visit the artwork
of the handicraft of Familie Brunier as well as a group of talented contemporary
artists.
 |
| The Vieux Telegraphe exhibition poster. |
