2018 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau
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Tasting notes
Full bottle 1,320 g. 65% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 15% Mourvèdre, 5% Cinsault. 30–40 days’ fermentation in temperature-controlled wooden vats. Pneumatic pressing, then malolactic conversion. Matured for 20–22 months in French oak foudres (60 hl). Bottled unfined and unfiltered. Natural cork closure. RS 0.4 g/l, free SO 2 16 mg/l, total SO 2 45 mg/l. Vegan. Big, bold and concentrated; but I’d prefer the Montvac Vacqueyras or now. (JR)
Critic scores
The Wine Advocate
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
The sweet, juicy, peppery kirsch on the palate hits the spot. Opulent, silky, and fresh with peppery black raspberries, herbs, and spice, along with green olives and crushed rocks, the wine is drinking quite well at the moment. But as good as it is, it is only going to get better from here, Produced from a blend of 60% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 15% Mourvedre, and 5% Cinsault, along with other, assorted red and white grape varieties. 60-70% of the harvest is destemmed. Drink from 2022-2035.
Shimmering ruby-red. Expansive red fruit preserve, lavender and allspice scents show excellent clarity and pick up a hint of incense with air. Gently chewy and energetic on the palate, offering alluringly sweet cherry, black raspberry and spicecake flavors that flesh out steadily on the back half. Shows impressive depth but comes off lively, finishing extremely long and spicy, with building tannins adding final grip.
The flagship of this great estate is the 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape and it could quite possibly be one of the longest lived wines in the 2018 vintage, which in general, is a charming, forward vintage geared for consumption in the first decade of life. Revealing a more ruby, almost translucent color as well as a great perfume of wild strawberries, blackberries, Asian spices, peppery garrigue, and flowers, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a building, undeniable sense of minerality, plenty of mid-palate depth, and enough tannins to warrant 2-3 years or bottle age. It has the more upfront, expressive style of the vintage yet my money is on this evolving for 15-20 years.