1994 Chateauneuf du Pape La Crau
Market price
Buying options
Tasting notes
A sleeper vintage for Vieux-Telegraphe is 1994. Because this vineyard tends to mature quickly, the extraordinarily hot, dry summer allowed this estate to harvest in late August and early September, long before many other properties could, and before the rain began. The 1994 offers sweet floral, blue and black fruits intermixed with dried Provencal herbs, tree bark, and earth. Powerful, concentrated, and close to full maturity, it will last for another decade. Moreover, this wine sells for a song since the vintage does not have a reputation such as 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001. Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel (510) 524-1524
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
Only 100 magnums of the Cuvee Prestige (the final name is yet to be determined) will be produced. Made from 30% Mourvedre, 20% Syrah, and 50% Grenache, it represents the estate's oldest vines, ranging from 50 to 80+ years. Although the wine possesses Vieux-Telegraphe's massive richness of fruit, it is atypical because of its firm, powerful, tannic structure. The elevated percentage of Mourvedre will require owners of this wine to be patient. It is a far less flattering wine to drink than the 1994 regular Chateauneuf. The opaque purple-colored Cuvee Prestige tastes like a hypothetical blend of a great Bandol from the likes of Domaine Pradeaux and Beaucastel's Cuvee Jacques Perrin. A mammoth wine of enormous richness, it will need 8-10 years of cellaring after its release (presumably in 1996). Vieux-Telegraphe's wines are imported by Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524
About the producer
Product details
Grenache/ Garnacha , Syrah / Shiraz, Mourvedre/Monastrell/Mataro, Cinsault
Red
Dry