THE PRODUCER
Half of Vieux Telegraphee’s 100 hectares is in the exceptional lieu-dit of ‘La
Crau’ – unofficially thegrandcru of the area – which was purchased by the
estate’s owner Henri Brunier as virgin woodland in 1891. Vineyards are farmed
organically, and the vines in La Crau are now from 70 to 100 years old.

Vieux Telegraph makes several wines from their vineyards not only in Chateauneuf
but also in Gigondas, Ventoux and beyond, in fact all the way to Lebanon.  But
La Crau is where they draw their cuvee Classique which is indeed a classic stye
of Chateauneuf, among the very best of the appellation. Vieux Telegraphe is
usually a blend of 65% Grenache, 15% Mourvedre, and 10% Syrah and is allowed to
mature for 9 months in concrete vats followed by a period in large old foudres –
a regime which allows the terroir and the fruit quality to shine.

THE WINE
The stony La Crau plateau, in the southeast of the appellation, is where Vieux
Telegraphe source their cuvee Classique which is among the very best of the
appellation. Vieux Telegraphe is usually a blend of 65% Grenache, 15% Mourvedre,
and 10% Syrah and the vines are on average around 70 years old. Fermentation is
followed by a very long maceration and then the wine is left to mature for 9
months in concrete vats followed by a period in large old foudres – a regime
which allows the terroir and the fruit quality to shine, in a wine of immense
minerality, fruit concentration and refined tannic structure.

DESCRIPTION
Type:RedVintage:2009Country:FranceRegion:Southern RhoneSub region:Chateauneuf du
PapeGrape:65% Grenache, 15% Mourvedre, 5% Syrah, 5% Cinsault, 5% Clairette & 5%
OtherStyle:Rich and IntenseSweetness:DryABV:14.5%Drinking window:2012 - 2030
Size:750mlFood match:Lamb


CRITICS SCORES
We choose our wines based on a range of criteria(seehow we choose our wines)of
which critic scores is justone. Rather than simply highlight the best score to
promote a wine, our average critic score is calculated from the scores provided
by several respected wine critics, who we follow for specific regions. They do
not represent all critic scores and, wherever possible, we try and give more
weight to more recent reviews. Where appropriate we consider market-based scores
like Global Wine Score or Wine Searcher Average scores.

As a rule, we look to offer wines that achieve a92/100average critic score or
better and frankly a lot of very good wines simply don’t make the cut. As a
high-end provider we want to reflect that positioning in the quality of wines we
offer. Such wines are only a tiny fraction of those generally on offer in the
market. We believe that an average score is a more conservative and
representative approach, but it is still subjective and only offered as a guide
to our customers, who will (and should) do their own research. We will add
individual critic scores to our website in the future.