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 Vintage2008 Label 1 of 1165 
TypeRed
ProducerDomaine du Vieux Télégraphe (web)
VarietyRed Rhone Blend
Designationn/a
VineyardLa Crau
CountryFrance
RegionRhône
SubRegionSouthern Rhône
AppellationChâteauneuf-du-Pape
UPC Code(s)041226065008, 086459025399, 3374830021038, 761503633217, 761503633224, 761503633293

Drinking Windows and Values
Drinking window: Drink between 2013 and 2021 (based on 52 user opinions)
Wine Market Journal quarterly auction price: See Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf du Pape (La Crau) on the Wine Market Journal.

Community Tasting History

Community Tasting Notes (average 90.8 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 247 notes) - hiding notes with no text

 Tasted by bacchus of knockholt on 3/8/2024 & rated 82 points: Took this to a Bacchus blind tasting and was very disappointed. Well past its best. Brown, tawny colour with a tarry nose and dried fruit and some peppery notes. I expected a wine of this standing to still be drinking well. The Domaine de la Jannasse 1998 tasted alongside it was still drinking well. (265 views)
 Tasted by thh18731 on 10/2/2023 & rated 91 points: This is pouring quite nice. Beautiful fruit, nice tannic structure, and a long finish with a hint of leather. (842 views)
 Tasted by nsellen on 9/20/2023 & rated 91 points: I’ve been rather unkind about the bottles I’ve had previously. Over the course of this six pack they’ve ranged from dense rich fruited and tannic alcoholic monsters, through shrill acidic fruitless alcoholic harpies and tarry, pruney, baked alcoholic etc. so bottle six was approached with low expectations.

The wine decanted and clear, plenty of ruby with bare tinge of orange at rim. Nose leapt out of the glass, medicinal, tar, eucalyptus or camphor, herb, iron and a bitterish tang. Meat or blood maybe. All very Musar. It’s the best comparator I have to help me land this wine. I loved it. There’s sweetness on the palate a thick almost creamy mouth feel. Prickle of pepper from the alcohol or maybe the Syrah. Rich, rolling herballeatherytarry and something exotic behind it all. Resin? rosemary? Whatevs. I’ll stop now. This wine lasted three nights with no sign of decay. It’s in a great place but clearly only just become drinkable to my palate. Criticism? Only that the alcohol is still making its presence felt but at least it’s not dominating as it has in the past.

I’m glad to be proven wrong and glad to have the 2009s in reserve. (820 views)
 Tasted by cugel_saga on 9/16/2023 & rated 92 points: Still fairly fresh and hanging on to a slice of slightly muted acidity.
Dark fruits, maybe hints of ripe plums or old cherries.
Leathery, herby notes.
Good tannic finish.

I like these CNDPs with plenty of years on them. This is good but I think I'll like it even more in 5 years. I've had a few cracking bottles of the 2003 in the last 18 months and it has been incredible. (761 views)
 Tasted by TexasBob on 8/18/2023 & rated 92 points: From magnum. Medium Garnet with orange cloudiness under the lights. Milk chocolate, red berries, orange zest, and spice box on the nose. Red berries, cream, and a touch of menthol late into the finish. There is also a potpourri of other dried flower and fruit notes. Very tasty. (907 views)
 Tasted by Baron Slick on 5/22/2023 & rated 92 points: Earthy, herbal bouquet displays peppery aromas of black raspberries, chocolate, and menthol. Mid-to-full bodied, not tremendously deep or flashy, but there's lots of intriguing complexity, fine structure, and excellent length. Notes of sandalwood and Sichuan peppers, a little brett, and ends with a kiss of licorice on the nice finish. (571 views)
 Tasted by Raage on 5/7/2023 flawed bottle: Soit trop vieux, soit mal entreposée…
Métallique, fané, pointe oxydative : sans charme. (1350 views)
 Tasted by Outplaying on 4/26/2023: Unfortunately, we drank all of our bottles years ago. This bottle was from a friend and it is drinking great. No sense of sweetness. This is elegant with spice, smoke, tobacco accents. I wish I went deeper on the 2008 vintage with VT, Pegau, Beaucastel, and Vieux Donjon. Love the lighter style and elegance. (945 views)
 Tasted by JonBarnes1 on 2/12/2023: Happy to put this vintage to bed. Looking back at my prior notes, it never really got off the ground, and now is past prime. Pruney notes on the nose; fruit is still there but flabby, and sharp acidity cuts through the finish. Out of balance. Drink up. (1230 views)
 Tasted by WineStats on 2/5/2023 & rated 93 points: Tasted from a magnum and aging beautifully. Tannins are integrated framing still vibrant plum notes, cherry, and olives. Medium/medium- acidity...subdued in spice but bountiful in red fruits. Pomegranate, wild rasberry, oak is not in the way. A pleasure to drink and based on this bottling, I think the wine is peaking but will drink well for the next 4-5 years. (1132 views)
 Tasted by Cote d'Or on 1/20/2023: Tasted over 3 hrs, from 375 mL
-dark violet ruby core minimal bricking
-kirsch-y grenache some minerality
-med acidity, med/med+ weight dense remnants of dark fruits licorice tar, finishes with some sweetness and heat from the EtOH and mostly resolved tannins
-on its mature plateau though not full-on tertiary probably won't improve as the moderate heat may become more prominent as the rest of the fruit fades (1139 views)
 Tasted by Jeff Leve on 10/4/2022 & rated 89 points: Fairly on the herbal, garrigue, and peppery side of the style range with a core of crisp, leafy red berries on the palate and in the olive, tinted finish. Drink from 2022-2028. (2435 views)
 Tasted by Michael Hung on 8/24/2022 flawed bottle: [Tasted double blind at Kevin's]

Fruit was not really showing. Kevin proceeded to open a 2007 to make up for this bottle. (1577 views)
 Tasted by kstoddard on 8/24/2022 flawed bottle: TCA (1343 views)
 Tasted by cdp1276 on 8/6/2022 & rated 93 points: Earthy and fruit forward with slight limestone and clay mineral notes. Lots of blue fruit. (1255 views)
 Tasted by Gas Station Wine Guy on 7/4/2022 & rated 92 points: vieuxt elegraphe was still fresh with lots of gamey & secondary characteristics coming out as the wine opened up. This is at its peak but will hold for a while. (1348 views)
 Tasted by Omar Khayyam on 6/23/2022 & rated 92 points: Drinking very well with some grilled meats at this juncture. Complex, structured and quite broad shouldered but with balance and freshness. (1330 views)
 Tasted by tb_baltimore on 6/22/2022 & rated 90 points: This has aged in a way that I hadn't expected, but maybe that only reflects that I need to sample more from Vieux Telegraphe. Right now it shows age with much reduced tannins and a nearly empty acidic sense. A very pleasant and long-lasting taste. But, not an over the top sensory explosion at the start. The fruit sense, and the smell are quite weak. I wouldn't expect this to evolve much more from this stage, but may not be sensing where else it can go. I was expecting the nicely blended sensations, but not quite so much of a reduction on the tannic/acidic/fruit realm. So, a nice one to have opened for our anniversary, but not quite where I'd expected to see this after eleven years in our cellar (yes, kept in wine fridge and via Kermit Lynch importer). So, most likely similar in state to others (some 1900 are in cellar via the menu on the right at this time) have kept. (1047 views)
 Tasted by King Julien on 5/9/2022 & rated 91 points: Popped and poured into decanter and served. Nice fruit at first but it faded after an hour. (1260 views)
 Tasted by melvinyeowq on 12/26/2021: Boxing day at NY Verden: Didn't show like a CDP - nobody placed this correctly actually. Very restrained sweet cherries, but no raisin or pruney notes at all. Tannins have softened. Great wine from a cooler vintage. (2172 views)
 Tasted by Dj6544 on 11/27/2021 & rated 91 points: Dry, raisin and chocolate fruit, restrained and mellowed by age. Bit of a kick from the alcohol. Light in colour and seems to be at the top (or downward slope) of the maturity curve. (1714 views)
 Tasted by BillBell73 on 11/26/2021: Still a bit tannic, and I don’t know that the wine will outlive those tannins, but this is drinking well now. Rustic, a bit volatile, lots of personality. No, this isn’t an exercise in subtlety, but that’s not why you buy this wine. (1637 views)
 Tasted by Andrew H on 10/2/2021 & rated 91 points: Medium red, clear. Candied cherries that evolved to ripe cherry with air. Some forest floor - dried oak leaf and soil. Tannins integrated. Alcohol prominent on open, but receded with air. Didn’t decant but suggest either decanting for an hour+ or giving ample air beforehand. (1830 views)
 Tasted by nsellen on 8/30/2021: Fading. The bitter note is dominating the finish. Still spiritous. I just can’t get on with this wine. (1913 views)
 Tasted by asparagus on 8/7/2021 & rated 93 points: crunchy, bright, red fruit. good mouthfeel. as i get older, i find that i enjoy the less heralded/solar vintages more and more... (1612 views)
 Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine...

Professional 'Channels'
By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (8/1/2019)
(Dom du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red) Subscribe to see review text.
By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (11/19/2012)
(Dom du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red) Subscribe to see review text.
By David Lawrason
WineAlign (10/12/2011)
(Domaine Du Vieux Télégraphe La Crau Châteauneuf Du Pape, Ac red) Subscribe to see review text.
By John Szabo, MS
WineAlign (10/4/2011)
(Domaine Du Vieux Télégraphe La Crau Châteauneuf Du Pape, Ac red) Subscribe to see review text.
By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (11/16/2010)
(Dom du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red) Subscribe to see review text.
By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (11/9/2010)
(Dom du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red) Subscribe to see review text.
By Richard Hemming, MW
JancisRobinson.com (9/22/2010)
(Dom du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red) Subscribe to see review text.
By Jeb Dunnuck
JebDunnuck.com, A focus on Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Issue #5 (8/31/2010)
(Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau) Login and sign up and see review text.
By Josh Raynolds
Vinous, January/February 2010, IWC Issue #148
(Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf du Pape La Crau) Subscribe to see review text.
By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (11/10/2009)
(Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red) Subscribe to see review text.
By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (7/7/2012)
(Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau) Bricking medium dark red violet color; lovely, spicy, macerated cherry, baked berry, garrigue nose; tasty, baked berry, ripe cherry, mineral, garrigue, lavender palate; needs 6 years; medium-plus finish  92 points
By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (1/29/2011)
(Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau) Dark cherry red color with pale meniscus; herbal, ripe cherry, dried cherry, dried berry, garrigue nose; tight, tart berry, tart cherry, mineral, garrigue, licorice palate, needs 7-plus years; medium-plus finish  92 points
By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (11/6/2010)
(Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau) Very dark red violet color; deep, sexy, roasted plum, tart berry, garrigue, sage nose; tasty, tight, roasted berry, garrigue, sage, tart black fruit palate; medium-plus finish  94 points
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of JancisRobinson.com and WineAlign and JebDunnuck.com and Vinous and RJonWine.com. (manage subscription channels)

CellarTracker Wiki Articles (login to edit | view all articles)

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.

La Crau

On weinlagen-info

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.com

Rhône

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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