2021 Vieux Telegraphe Telegramme Chateauneuf du Pape, Southern Rhone

The plump, succulent 2021 Chateauneuf du Pape Telegramme offers cheerful strawberry, raspberry and redcurrant fruit. It’s medium to full-bodied, silky and elegant, offering plenty of near-term enjoyment. Tasted twice, with consistent notes.

91 points Joe Czerwinski robertparker.com Drink: 2023-2030

 The 2021 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Télégramme shows the characteristics of the vintage well. Mingling aromas of crushed flowers, fresh raspberry and strawberry as well as dried herbs. On the palate it is medium to full-bodied, layered, framed by a smooth tannin structure and balanced by lively acids.

91-93 points Nicholas Greinacher vinous.com Drink: 2024-2038

The heart of the expanding Brunier family empire, this is one of the best-known estates in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, thanks to the family's obsession with quality and the long-term association with pioneering American importer Kermit Lynch.

Other Brunier properties in the region include Clos la Roquête and Piedlong, listed separately but also tasted at Vieux Télégraphe with the gracious Daniel Brunier. The previous summer had not been kind to Vieux Télégraphe, as a violent, tornadic hailstorm struck la Crau the night of August 14-15, 2022.

"It was an incredible tornado," said Brunier. "It destroyed everything in 15 minutes."

All of the fruit that was left subsequently went into the 2022 Chateauneuf du Pape Telegramme—there are no Vieux Télégraphe La Crau bottlings from 2022. "There was a big mistral after the hail," said Brunier, which allowed the damaged grapes to dry up without spreading rot to anything that was spared. "We ended up picking about four or five hectoliters per hectare from La Crau," said Brunier. "There were so few grapes, we picked 80 hectares in five days."

Yet all wasn't somber at Vieux Télégraphe. Brunier quite likes the 2021 vintage, characterizing it as, "a fine, elegant, balanced year. Compared to 2020, it was a bit more normal, with some rain during harvest, which was important for the style of the wine. Generally, speaking, I like the 'lightness' of the vintage. I believe in this kind of vintage. We have a classic V.T."

Black raspberries, juicy cherries, pepper, flowers, and sappy garrigue notes all emerge from the 2021 Châteauneuf Du Pape Télégramme, a medium-bodied Burgundian Châteauneuf Du Pape offering good ripeness and fine tannins. It's already drinking beautifully and is well worth following over the coming decade.

Unfortunately, Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe saw most of their old vines wiped out due to the devastating hailstorm and tornado on August 14th, forcing them to harvest what they could shortly thereafter. As such, they opted to not produce their Grand Vin and blended everything (red and white varieties) into their Télégramme cuvee.

90 points jebdunnuck.com