Vieux Télégraphe
In the La Crau plateau, one of the most renowned areas for viticulture in all of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, lies the Vieux Telegraph winery, led by 6 generations of the Brunier family. The estate's history began in 1891 with Henri Brunier, who started the winemaking business in the village of Bedarrides, simultaneously gifting his son Hippolyte a plot of land located in the La Crau plateau, which at the time was considered uncultivable due to the high presence of pebbles. The baton then passed to Jules, Hippolyte's son, who expanded the estate's holdings to 17 hectares and also gave it the current name of Vieux Telegraphe, literally “old telegraph,” referencing the fact that a relay tower was installed in La Crau in 1821 by Claude Chappe, the inventor of the optical telegraph. An important contribution was made by Henri Brunier, the fourth generation, who further expanded the vineyard area and helped establish the estate's wines in the most important markets in the world. Today, the winery is run by the sixth generation of the Brunier family, represented by Nicolas, Edouard, and Manon, skilled maintaining the estate's identity style.
The vineyards of Vieux Telegraphe cover 100 hectares in the Chateauneuf-du-Pape area, along with an additional 20 hectares in the territories of Vaucluse and Ventoux, plus 25 hectares in the Gigondas area that belong to Domaine Les Pallières, acquired in 1998 together with Kermit Lynch, a well-known American importer. The vines have an average age of 70 years and are cultivated on rich, round pebble soils through a low environmental impact approach. The Grenache Noir, the estate's most representative grape variety, is joined by other traditional varieties such as Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Carignan, Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, and Bourboulenc. The winemaking facilities are designed to facilitate gravity movement, so as not to “stress” the wine, and every operation is adapted to the characteristics of the vineyard, the variety, and the vintage. For aging, large French oak barrels are preferred, in order to respect the qualities of the territory and the grape varieties.
The range of Chateauneuf-du-Pape from Vieux Telegraphe, the emblem of the winery, stands out for its expressive richness and for the distinctive mineral vein, the latter characteristic attributable to the peculiar pebbly component of the soils. The flagship of the production is then the Chateauneuf-du-Pape ‘La Crau’, the archetype of the best wines of the denomination.
In the La Crau plateau, one of the most renowned areas for viticulture in all of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, lies the Vieux Telegraph winery, led by 6 generations of the Brunier family. The estate's history began in 1891 with Henri Brunier, who started the winemaking business in the village of Bedarrides, simultaneously gifting his son Hippolyte a plot of land located in the La Crau plateau, which at the time was considered uncultivable due to the high presence of pebbles. The baton then passed to Jules, Hippolyte's son, who expanded the estate's holdings to 17 hectares and also gave it the current name of Vieux Telegraphe, literally “old telegraph,” referencing the fact that a relay tower was installed in La Crau in 1821 by Claude Chappe, the inventor of the optical telegraph. An important contribution was made by Henri Brunier, the fourth generation, who further expanded the vineyard area and helped establish the estate's wines in the most important markets in the world. Today, the winery is run by the sixth generation of the Brunier family, represented by Nicolas, Edouard, and Manon, skilled maintaining the estate's identity style.
The vineyards of Vieux Telegraphe cover 100 hectares in the Chateauneuf-du-Pape area, along with an additional 20 hectares in the territories of Vaucluse and Ventoux, plus 25 hectares in the Gigondas area that belong to Domaine Les Pallières, acquired in 1998 together with Kermit Lynch, a well-known American importer. The vines have an average age of 70 years and are cultivated on rich, round pebble soils through a low environmental impact approach. The Grenache Noir, the estate's most representative grape variety, is joined by other traditional varieties such as Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Carignan, Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, and Bourboulenc. The winemaking facilities are designed to facilitate gravity movement, so as not to “stress” the wine, and every operation is adapted to the characteristics of the vineyard, the variety, and the vintage. For aging, large French oak barrels are preferred, in order to respect the qualities of the territory and the grape varieties.
The range of Chateauneuf-du-Pape from Vieux Telegraphe, the emblem of the winery, stands out for its expressive richness and for the distinctive mineral vein, the latter characteristic attributable to the peculiar pebbly component of the soils. The flagship of the production is then the Chateauneuf-du-Pape ‘La Crau’, the archetype of the best wines of the denomination.
