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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 89.1 pts. and median of 89 pts. in 27 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Brain Capers on 12/7/2021: Having a roast chicken, thought a Vieux Telegraph would be good, rummaging in the racks found this 1986. Some leakage around the capsule, thought it should be opened. After cleaning, the cork came out cleanly, in two pieces. A funky smell of being in an old winery was the nose, let the bottle rest for an hour. Excellent wine, old and sweet. No over ripeness, just the wisdom of age. Can a wine have wisdom? No matter, a wonderful bottle it was. Almost no sediment. It had to have been filtered. Purchased from the wine club, I think, had a 10.99 (!) price on top of the capsule. Wow. (1055 views) | | | Tasted by oz11779 on 4/8/2018 & rated 88 points: Garnet, no fading. Nose not strong; toast and seaweed. Short of fruit, with some tannin to make it quite drinkable; old, maybe, but definitely not falling apart. (2958 views) | | | Tasted by Dave Ro on 2/15/2018 & rated 91 points: The primary wine with our homemade cassoulet and it was excellent, a very good pairing. (2958 views) | | | Tasted by Esherte on 4/10/2017 & rated 85 points: Interesting notes from age but getting thin in the mouth and lacking fruit. (3729 views) | | | Tasted by NineteenEightyTwo on 2/11/2017 & rated 87 points: Translucent rosewood color. Smoky nose of ash and bitumen. This has faint red fruit flavors on the somewhat tired-tasting palate. The wine finishes with a hint of residual acidity and muted tannins. This is past its prime and tastes like a charred skeleton of its former self. Drink now if you've got any. (3742 views) | | | Tasted by ATBridge on 2/5/2017: Stewed and completely over-the-hill. Back-up 1980 was much, much better. (3001 views) | | | Tasted by bacchuszuo on 6/3/2016 & rated 93 points: Beautiful tertiary wine with truffles, mushroom, ripe black pepper and dried fig notes. Resolved yet structured, decent long finish. Wine drank well for 3+hrs which was great given the condition of previous bottle. (1956 views) | | | Tasted by europat55 on 3/26/2015 & rated 90 points: Gorgeous nose reminiscent of a mature CdP (A-). Little bit tired palate (B+). (3122 views) | | | Tasted by jmht on 8/2/2014 & rated 92 points: Stunning aromatics after decanted for 1.5 hours. Kirsch, lavender, garrique, gravel, just breathtaking and fantastic food wine. From magnum. (3188 views) | | | Tasted by europat55 on 4/29/2014 & rated 89 points: This is an excellent CdP, but it probably had better days 5-10 years ago. Softer than I would have expected from a Vieux Telegraphe. (3374 views) | | | Tasted by europat55 on 2/27/2014 & rated 87 points: 1981-1988 Vieux Telegraphe La Crau CdP Vertical (Tom's house in Palo Alto, California): Darker than the other wines in this flight. Different nose (B+/B++). Palate feels like it's way past it prime, but still good (B+).
My #7, Group's #7 (104 pts). Tasted blind. (4202 views) | | | Tasted by affordableCollector on 2/27/2014 & rated 87 points: light red, in color. currants, earth, smoke, on the nose. cherry, soy, dirt, mushrooms, on the palate. high acid, on the finish. (3379 views) | | | Tasted by mdavis on 9/9/2012: Sadly, this bottle had seen better days. A bit past peek and not unlike the majority of the wine from the region, seemed a bit hot and heavy for me. DRINK UP. I had a much better experience with this wine a few years ago (ok, looks like it was 5.5). (3754 views) | | | Tasted by Margauxguy on 1/25/2011 & rated 91 points: Really lovely out of magnum. Dark fruit, balanced smooth and integrated. Lovely complexity, and I am not a big CDP fan. Really sorry this is my last bottle (4127 views) | | | Tasted by Siggy on 12/14/2010 flawed bottle: Tasting Group Dinner - Chateauneuf & More (In Season, Minneapolis): Riddled with VA. Nasty. Totally shot. (4949 views) | | | Tasted by Dave Dalluge on 7/12/2008: Family Reunion/Birthday Dinner: We jumped from '66 Bordeaux to this and it seemed considerably younger. The nose offered vitamins, subdued red fruit, dried herbs, sweet tart, cinnamon and lilac. On the palate this showed concentrated red fruit with a great, smooth texture and a satisfying long finish. A great bottle of wine. (5386 views) | | | Tasted by Siggy on 3/11/2008 & rated 89 points: Tasting Group Dinner - Vieux Telegraphe (Dave's House): Initially lots of VA on the nose. Cherries, vitamin, minerals, and light spice. Took on more of a caramel flavor profile with time in the glass. Darker and thicker than the '82 VT, tasted side-by-side (see TN). (4962 views) | | | Tasted by Dave Dalluge on 3/11/2008 & rated 91 points: Vieux Telegraph at Chez Moi: No notes taken. The nose gives dark cherry, mineral and a touch of garrigue. The taste is similar to the '82, but a touch heavier and less open. Very enjoyable. (6037 views) | | | Tasted by dave smigielski on 1/27/2008 & rated 92 points: decanted for 2 hours before drinking, had with cracked peppercorn pork loin chops and carmelized onion mashed potatoes. This has held up well over time and the cigar box on the nose was very nice. I have an 85 as well, but I will save that for my wifes birthday. (4060 views) | | | Tasted by rjonwine@gmail.com on 10/4/2007 & rated 94 points: Vieux Telegraphe 1981-1989 Blindtasted (Tom's House, Palo Alto, CA): Group's #5 (my #3) – 103 pts.; 0, 0, 2, 4 – barnyard, bretty, iron nose, that changes to more of a rich cherry nose after 20 minutes in the glass; delicious, tart and dried cherry palate with structure and elegance; medium finish (3470 views) | | | Tasted by Brad L on 3/26/2007: Had a bottle of this a few days ago and neglected to take notes - suffice to say this is a great old CNP with very good complexity and staying power. My brother, a non wine geek, took one smell, raised his eyebrows, and asked, "Geez, you didn't need to bring an awesome bottle." Old VT rules! (4060 views) | | | Tasted by Brad L on 2/15/2006: Very nice old CNP, nothing wrong here.
On nose, dusty Grenache, marigolds, pepper.
In mouth, sweet and dusty old Grenache. Quite nice, not crazy, but what it should be, very pleasant. (4277 views) | | | Tasted by Xian on 3/29/2005 & rated 88 points: Opened this last night, per the recommendation of cellartracker's vintage report, and was very pleased with the decision.
If there is such a thing as 'Comfort Wine', this is pretty close. I used to drink Kermit's Pigeoulet as the typical 'open bottle' around the house. This is the mature, erudite older uncle to Pig.
It was nice and clean, mature but not geriatric. There was some sediment, but that was expected as I didn’t pamper it with cheesecloth and a decanter. The fruit was forward, borderline huckleberry syrup, although musky as well (not moldy). Tannins were very laid back, as you would expect from a 19yr old CdP.
This wine is not past prime, IMO. It's very nice and drinking better than the 88 or 84 right now.
Provenance: Bottle purchased from Aabalat about 12-16 months ago, laid down in my temp-controlled cellar until last night. Had upright and open for about 60 min prior to consumption. Poured from bottle. (I know, before you purists flame me, shame on me)
For contrast, I had a Magnum of this about one year ago, and was underwhelmed with it at the time (different provenance, restaurant bottle). May be external factors involved. (4969 views) | | | Tasted by MicklethePickle on 5/18/1990 & rated 85 points: With Michael Lehmann at Singer & Foy vertical tasting of Vieux Telegraphe. Medium ruby. Good color at the edge. Nose a bit reticent; faintly fruity. In the mouth, quite tannic and rough, with black cherry fruit. Woody. Not great now – with time? I have my doubts. 5-9-13-6: 85/100. (261 views) | | | Tasted by MicklethePickle on 4/29/1989 & rated 85 points: With Michael Lehmann at Singer & Foy tasting of 1986 Rhones. Light ruby color. Nose rather light, somewhat candied. Pretty good in the mouth. Rich. 5-9-15-6: 85/100. (259 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (10/4/2007)
(Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape) Group's #5 (my #3) – 103 pts.; 0, 0, 2, 4 – barnyard, bretty, iron nose, that changes to more of a rich cherry nose after 20 minutes in the glass; delicious, tart and dried cherry palate with structure and elegance; medium finish 94 points |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of RJonWine.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Producer website
U.S. Importer (Addt'l Info)
A visit to Domaine Vieux Telegraphe hosted by proprietor Alain Brunier -
https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2019/08/domaine-du-vieux-telegraphe-chateauneuf_3.html Red Rhone Blend Read about the different grapes used to produce red and white Rhone wines
On CellarTracker, Red Rhone Blend is the term for a wine consisting of two or more of the traditional 13 Southern Rhone grape varieties. Typically it's the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre or Cinsault grapes, but can also contain the Muscardin, Counoise, Clairette, Bourboulenc, Picpoul, Roussanne, Terret Noir, Picardan or Vaccarese grapes.
A 'food' wine. Lacking pretension and intended for local consumption with local cuisine. Lacks the 'high' notes on a Bordeaux, more earthy and sharper so often a better partner to meat dishes with a sauce. France Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comRhône Guide to the wines, wineries and appellations in the Rhone Valley The Rhône Valley/Le Vins de la Vallée du Rhône (Comité Interprofession des vins AOC Côtes et vallée du Rhône)
### Wine Scholar Guild's Rhône valley vintage charts & ratings ###Southern Rhône Guide to the wines, wineries and appellations in the Southern Rhone Valley
Châteauneuf-du-Pape Châteauneuf-du-Pape Appellation - Read more about Chateauneuf du Pape
Another site on this appellation
Vineyards on weinlagen-info
"As I have written many times in the past, the sweet spot for drinking Châteauneuf du Papes is usually the first 5-6 years after the vintage. Then they seem to go through an adolescent, awkward, and sometimes dormant stage, only to re-emerge around year 10-12, where the majority of wines are often fully mature. The best of them will continue to hold on to life (but rarely improving) beyond 15-20 years. It is only the exceptional Châteauneuf du Papes that will evolve for 20-25+ years, and those are indeed a rarity. However, things may be improving dramatically in terms of the longevity of Châteauneuf du Pape, although Grenache-dominated wines, the vast majority of wines produced in the appellation, are wines that do not have the polyphenol (extract and tannin) content of top Cabernet Sauvignons, Merlots, or Syrah-based wines. Nevertheless, the younger generation in Châteauneuf du Pape has taken seriously the farming in the vineyards. There are more organic and biodynamically run vineyards here than in any other appellation of France. The yields, which were already low, are even lower today (20-35 hectoliters per hectare), and of course, the proliferation of top luxury and/or old-vine cuvées gives a significant boost to the number of wines that will evolve past 25 or 30 years. The advantage of these wines is their broad window of drinkability." - Robert Parker
Vintage Chart 1978 to Today
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