Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe does indeed derive its name from an old telegraph station, one which was once sited on the hill where this Châteauneuf domaine now stands. The station was one of Claude Chappe''s optical telegraph relay towers, erected in 1792, part of a system of such stations spanning the whole of France which utilised a semaphore system to relay information. Each station was equipped with two telescopes, pointing up and down the line, to view incoming messages. The French Government opted for replacement by an electric telegraph in 1846, despite some fears that such a communication system was more open to sabotage as a cable was easily cut, and thus the station at Châteauneuf has long since been demolished. As for the vineyards, 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. Over the ensuing years the vineyard was expanded, most notably by the next generation, Jules, who saw it reach a size approaching 17 hectares. Jules was also responsible for christening the domaine, naming it after the aforementioned telegraph station that once occupied the spot on the plateau. During the early years of the 20th Century there was a downturn in the estate''s fortunes, phylloxera and war both taking their toll. It was the next generation, in the shape of Henri Brunier, that was charged with rebuilding the domaine, a task to which turned all his attention, before subsequently handing it on to his own sons, Daniel and Frederic, in 1988.
The Vieux Télégraphe vineyards are unusual in that they lie in a single block, on the La Crau plateau, today covering an area of 70 hectares. The ground is covered by the galets roules, the large rounded stones which originated in the Alps to the east, and were transported down to lower lands by the action of floodwaters. They are classically associated with the vineyards of Châteauneuf du Pape, although they can also be found in other areas across the south of France. 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, with a significant proportion old enough to draw their pension at 65 years. 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. The management of the vineyard involves la culture raisonnée (perhaps best translated as reasoned agriculture), minimising those treatments in use to the lowest possible level, and they have gone as far as reducing the grape worm pest by the use of pheromones in the vineyard, confusing the adult butterflies and reducing their breeding capacity as a result. There is a green harvest and leaf stripping to manage yields and encourage ripening, followed by manual harvesting and a double sorting before vinification.
The grand vin here is the red Vieux Télégraphe, a classic Châteauneuf blend. The wines declare La Crau on the label but this is not a special bottling as is often thought, all the fruit for the grand vin comes from this plateau. The fruit for this wine is destemmed and pressed, then fermented in stainless steel tanks with temperature control, for a period of two to three weeks. Malolactic is encouraged. The wine then goes into concrete tank for nine months, before going into oak foudres (up to 70 hectolitre capacity) for up to one year. The wine is bottled at two years of age, without filtration. The Brunier brothers do not intend to produce a premium cuvée as many other local producers have done, 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, a second moniker introduced with the washout 2002 vintage) and includes wine from vines less than twenty years of age, and those aliquots rejected from inclusion in the grand vin. It is strong on Grenache and Mourvèdre, but otherwise the fermentation and élevage is no different. Importantly, neither this wine nor the grand vin sees any new oak, in this respect it goes against what is an increasingly fashionable practice in the region. The white Châteauneuf, sourced from the five hectares of white varieties, is dominated by Clairette and Grenache Blanc, which comprise 40% and 30% of the blend respectively, followed by Bourboulenc and Roussanne which contribute 15% each. This wine is, however, more likely to see some oak, with some varieties, 40% of the total, fermented en barrique, whilst the remainder is fermented in stainless steel. It is aged in both, then bottled at nine months of age. There is also a second wine for the white, again christened Vieux Mas des Papes. Made from young vines, its composition is quite different to the grand vin, being 40% Roussanne, 30% Grenache Blanc, 20% Bourboulenc and 10% Picpoul. It is fermented only in steel, and bottled at seven months.
I''ve long been a keen buyer and drinker of good quality Châteauneuf, ever since I first visited and tasted in and around the town itself, and I soon learnt the quality that could be found at Vieux Télégraphe. Consequently this estate remains one of my regular buys, especially as it can still be found at a reasonable price - unlike some estates which, having duly been anointed by influential critics, simply cannot resist the temptation to push prices skyward. This is especially true of those estates that cream off the best of their wine for a turbo-charged, bank-balance-damaging super-cuvée. The Brunier brothers deserve credit for taking the opposite tack, and introducing a second wine to improve the quality of the grand vin, rather than lessen it as only a super-cuvée can do. It is a story of success for the Brunier family, who have gone on to purchase Domaine de la Roquette, another Châteauneuf estate, and also Domaine de la Pallières, in Gigondas, in partnership with US importer Kermit Lynch. Meanwhile, the red wines of Vieux Télégraphe remain worthwhile, and they are wines that, whilst the prices remain favourable, I will continue to buy. The white wines, however, I must confess I find rather more difficult to understand. This is true for the appellation as a whole. (1/3/06, updated 29/5/07)
Contact details:
Address: Vignobles Brunier, 84370 Bédarrides
Telephone: +33 (0) 4 90 33 00 31
Fax: +33 (0) 4 90 33 18 47
Internet: www.brunier.fr
