2020 Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe La Crau Chateauneuf-du-Pape 750 ml

“In Southern Rhône’s Châteauneuf-du-Pape, there is one vineyard that stands literally and figuratively above the rest,” begins Wine Spectator’s summation of their just-crowned #7 Wine of the Year, the 2020 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape. “The high-altitude plateau of La Crau.” 

No one makes this precious piece of land shine brighter than Vieux Télégraphe’s sixth-generation Brunier brothers, and in their 2020, they’ve crafted an absolutely gorgeous wine—one well worthy of the Wine Spectator’s honor.

La Crau is perhaps the most famous parcel in the South of France, and Vieux Télégraphe is a picture of Southern Rhône purity ushered into the bottle by the fifth-generation Brunier family. It delivers tons of pleasure both in its youth and after a long stretch in the cellar, and packs as much power as any wine in France, without sacrificing an iota of complexity, minerality, or intrigue. That’s why Jeb Dunnuck has said that “lovers of elegant, classical Châteauneuf du Pape” simply “can’t go wrong with this estate.”

La Crau is a sturdy retort to the fact that Châteauneuf-du-Pape has no official Grands Crus. Located at the extreme southeast of the appellation, it shows millions of years of stratifications (including limestone, silica, and red clay molasse) all topped by round, heavy galets roulés. These stones insulate the organically farmed vines from extreme temperatures and provide excellent drainage for the roots. 

Only grapes from vines aged 20-65 years go into Vieux Télégraphe’s flagship—the younger vines go into the more precocious Télégramme bottling—and after harvest, they’re partially destemmed before spending 25-35 days fermenting in temperature-controlled stainless steel and wood cuves. After ten months in concrete and another in 12 in oak foudres, the wine is bottled unfiltered.