Vieux Telegraphe 2013 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc 750ml

The 2013 Châteauneuf du Pape Blanc is another outstanding white from this estate. Made from 40% Clairette, 30% Grenache, 15% Roussanne and the rest Bourboulenc, all from La Crau, it’s a layered, classic white from appellation that has plenty of pear and stone fruits, white flowers and big minerality in its medium-bodied, seamless, yet concentrated profile. While certainly beautiful now, it will age gracefully for decades. Score: 93 points -- Jeb Dunnuck, RobertParker.com, Oct 2014

Located on the eastern edge of the appellation, near the village of Bedarrides, Vieux Télégraphe owns prime plots in the famed La Crau lieu-dit and fashion a traditional, age-worthy style of Châteauneuf du Pape. They continue to streamline the portfolio, and as I commented last year, now produce five Châteauneuf du Papes: three reds and two whites. The reds include the entry-level Télégramme, the Grenache-driven Piedlong, and their top cuvee, the classic Vieux Télégraphe. As for the whites, they have the classic Châteauneuf du Pape white, and while the La Roquete rouge was replaced by the Piedlong, they still release a white Châteauneuf du Pape under the La Roquete label. In addition to their Châteauneufs, this estate makes a bevy of high quality and well-priced releases from Ventoux.
I was able to taste their Gigondas releases from Domaine Pallieres, and opted to include these releases in this report as well. This estate is a collaboration between Vieux Télégraphe’s Brunier brothers and one of the top Southern France importers, Kermit Lynch. They release two Gigondas, both mostly Grenache (the balance here is a mix of Syrah, Cinsault and Clairette) and aging occurs all in foudre. The Terraces de Diable comes from higher-elevation vineyards and more limestone soils, and the les Racines comes from the oldest vines of the estate, located around the domaine on the lower plateau, and comes mostly from clay soils.