Performing considerably better than it did prior to bottling, the 2010 Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf du Pape is one of the all-time great Vieux Telegraphes I have tasted in the last 3+ decades. I believe it is even superior to the 2007, which I had several weeks ago. The 2010 boasts a dense purple color along with a sumptuous bouquet of spring flowers, boysenberries, black cherries, black currants, nori (the sushi seaweed wrapper), black olives, licorice and pepper. This full-bodied, meaty, thick, juicy effort possesses a boatload of tannin, but it also has incredible concentration. More massive than I remember from last year, it has put on considerable weight and intensity. Forget it for 3-4 years, and drink it over the following 25-30 years. Kudos to Daniel and Frederic Brunier!
The Brunier family continues to turn out a beautiful array of wines, ranging from its value-priced Le Pigoulet and new entry called Megaphone, to their top-of-the-line, world-class Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf du Pape. The estate’s second wine, Telegramme, possesses one of the most innovative and charming labels in the wine world. This estate is somewhat unusual in that it has 135 acres of contiguous parcels in the famous La Crau sector of Chateauneuf du Pape. It has one of the most precocious terroirs in the appellation, and is often among the first estate’s to harvest because of La Crau’s microclimate.
(WA 31st Oct 2012)
