Vieux Télégraphe
In the La Crau plateau, one of the most renowned areas for winemaking in all of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, stands the Vieux Télégraphe winery, led by the Brunier family for six generations. The history of the estate began in 1891 with Henri Brunier, who started the winemaking business in the village of Bédarrides while 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 was 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 Télégraphe, literally “old telegraph,” referring to the fact that in 1821, a relay tower was installed in La Crau by Claude Chappe, the inventor of the optical telegraph. An important contribution came from Henri Brunier, the fourth generation, who further expanded the estate’s vineyards and helped establish the Domaine’s wines in the world’s most important markets. Today, the winery is managed by the sixth generation of the Brunier family, represented by Nicolas, Edouard, and Manon, who skillfully continue the tradition while maintaining the estate’s distinctive style.
The vineyards of Vieux Télégraphe cover 100 hectares in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape area, in addition to 20 hectares in the Vaucluse and Ventoux regions, as well as 25 hectares in the Gigondas area, which belong to Domaine Les Pallières, acquired in 1998 along with Kermit Lynch, a well-known U.S. importer. The vines have an average age of 70 years and are grown in soil rich in round pebbles using an environmentally friendly approach. The Grenache Noir, the estate’s most representative grape variety, is accompanied by other traditional varieties such as Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Carignan, Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, and Bourboulenc. The winemaking facilities are designed to promote gravity flow, so as not to “stress” the wine, and each operation is tailored to the vineyard, variety, and vintage. For aging, large French oak barrels are preferred in order to respect the qualities of the land and the grape varieties.
The Châteauneuf-du-Pape range from Vieux Télégraphe, the winery’s flagship, stands out for its expressive richness and distinctive mineral streak, the latter being attributable to the characteristic pebbly nature of the soils. The crown jewel of the production is the Châteauneuf-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 winemaking in all of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, stands the Vieux Télégraphe winery, led by the Brunier family for six generations. The history of the estate began in 1891 with Henri Brunier, who started the winemaking business in the village of Bédarrides while 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 was 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 Télégraphe, literally “old telegraph,” referring to the fact that in 1821, a relay tower was installed in La Crau by Claude Chappe, the inventor of the optical telegraph. An important contribution came from Henri Brunier, the fourth generation, who further expanded the estate’s vineyards and helped establish the Domaine’s wines in the world’s most important markets. Today, the winery is managed by the sixth generation of the Brunier family, represented by Nicolas, Edouard, and Manon, who skillfully continue the tradition while maintaining the estate’s distinctive style.
The vineyards of Vieux Télégraphe cover 100 hectares in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape area, in addition to 20 hectares in the Vaucluse and Ventoux regions, as well as 25 hectares in the Gigondas area, which belong to Domaine Les Pallières, acquired in 1998 along with Kermit Lynch, a well-known U.S. importer. The vines have an average age of 70 years and are grown in soil rich in round pebbles using an environmentally friendly approach. The Grenache Noir, the estate’s most representative grape variety, is accompanied by other traditional varieties such as Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Carignan, Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, and Bourboulenc. The winemaking facilities are designed to promote gravity flow, so as not to “stress” the wine, and each operation is tailored to the vineyard, variety, and vintage. For aging, large French oak barrels are preferred in order to respect the qualities of the land and the grape varieties.
The Châteauneuf-du-Pape range from Vieux Télégraphe, the winery’s flagship, stands out for its expressive richness and distinctive mineral streak, the latter being attributable to the characteristic pebbly nature of the soils. The crown jewel of the production is the Châteauneuf-du-Pape ‘La Crau’, the archetype of the best wines of the denomination.
