Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe

Producer Directory

History

Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe derives its name from an old telegraph station which stood on the hill where the Châteauneuf domaine now stands.
The history of the domaine itself begins with Hippolyte Brunier in 1898 who planted vines on the Plateau de la Crau, situated in the triangle between the villages of Bédarrides, Châteauneuf and Courthezon, thereby establishing the vineyard that today remains the prime source of fruit for Vieux Télégraphe.

Vineyards

The Vieux Télégraphe vineyards are unusual in that they lie in a single block, on the La Crau plateau. The ground is covered by the galets roules, large rounded stones which originated in the Alps to the east. They are classically associated with the vineyards of Châteauneuf du Pape.
Beneath these stones there is a more organic soil, up to 1.5 metres deep, a molasse deposited here during the Miocene era, and then deeper again there is a red clay.
The vines average an impressive 50 years of age. The oldest vines are Grenache, which account for 65% of the vineyard area. There is also Syrah (15%) , Mourvèdre (15%), Cinsaut and a mix other varieties, some of which are white, including Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Roussanne and Bourboulenc, altogether totalling just 5% of the vineyard. The white vines have an average age of around 35 years.

Winemaking

Fruit is destemmed and pressed, then fermented in stainless steel tanks with temperature control, for a period of two to three weeks. Malolactic is encouraged before the wine goes into concrete tank for nine months. The wine then goes into oak foudres (up to 70 hectolitre capacity) for up to one year. The wine is bottled at two years of age, without filtration.
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe do not intend to produce a premium cuvée, rather they have introduced a second wine which helps to keep the quality of the grand vin high. This was called Vieux Mas des Papes (and also variably named Télégramme) and includes wine from vines less than twenty years of age, and those grapes rejected from inclusion in the grand vin. It is strong on Grenache and Mourvèdre, but otherwise the fermentation and élevage is no different.
No Domaine du Vieux wine sees any new oak.

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