January 19, 2024 - This bottle was dirty. No obvious signs of damage, but basically dead. Poured out of magnum.
December 27, 2023 - 32 years old and still going strong! My last bottle unfortunately (of 12) but no need to hurry if you have any left. Still some red fruit left after all this time, good length, everything in the right place, probably the best VT I've tasted.
November 13, 2023 - From magnum that was PnP. Only a touch of bricking, with deep ruby hues. Distinct red cherry and raspberry fruit, and a sweet dusty strawberry finish. The length was 30 seconds plus and was best at about hour two. Obviously well cellared and in perfect condition. An absolute winner and a testament to how good aged VT can be!
April 25, 2023 - Vieux Telegraphe Vertical (The Sun Street Hotel, Liverpool Street): The wine opens with a definite brown tinge, but is overall a medium red. Very meaty and gamey on the nose, like a cote-rotie, and old leather. On the palate the immediate succulent sweetness of age, lovely red spectrum fruit with an enviable smoothness - full integration. Charming and excellent, and for me an eye-opener that CNdP can be so long lived.
April 25, 2023 - Vieux Telegraphe Vertical (Sun Street Hotel, Liverpool Street, London): Fruit cakey nose with cloves and bacon. Palate is red fruited and long. Best sip is after two hours in the glass. What a wine. My favourite and the group's second favourite of the night. Sadly this was my only bottle
May 27, 2022 - Brought to a friend's and served to accompany galbi, this completely exceeded my expectations (which are admittedly much lower for CdP than they used to be). Still very much going strong, but definitely mellowed, with notes of anise, cinnamon bark, more traditional garrigue, and still some pretty fruit that did not show excessive ripeness. A very nice, mature but not elderly, 32-year old.
April 24, 2021 - This wine continues to impress in 2021. I assumed it would be fading if not over-the-hill but I was wrong. It remains in top form if not better than the last one we consumed five years ago.
April 15, 2021 - I bought a case of this at auction in 2015 and this bottle may be my last one. This was rather grumpy initially and needed about forty five minutes of air to unfold. Smooth palate that showed resolved red plummy fruit, dried spices and a hint of rust. Elegant and long, tasted just fine, but not especially compelling and seemingly on the decline after peaking a couple of years ago. Drink now. Brought to Jim W., next door.
September 16, 2020 - Nice bottle. Fully mature, lovely Chateauneuf. Great length.
September 20, 2019 - Really nice drinking very well, had with some left over braised rabbit legs deboned into a nice pasta sauce. Yum.