Vieux Telegraphe 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc 750ml

A blend of 40% Clairette and 30% each Grenache Blanc and Roussanne, from vines in la Crau that average 50 years old, the 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc continues the excellent run for this wine. It's zesty, lime-ridden and briny on the nose, medium to full-bodied and a bit silky on the palate, but it's so fresh, citrusy and vibrant on the finish that it comes across as crisp and refreshing. I've been gradually extending the drinking windows on white Châteauneufs, as I become convinced that many of them age better than I've given them credit for in the past. This one should drink well for at least 5-6 years.

Score: 94 points -- Joe Czerwinski, The Wine Advocate, 2019

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Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe has been run by our family, the Brunier family, for six generations - since 1891 to be precise. The estate’s vineyards, 60 years old on average, are planted on the celebrated Plateau of La Crau, a site renowned for grape-growing in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. This terroir imparts to our wines a highly distinctive minerality, as if they have been filtered through the thick layer of large pebbles left behind when the Alpine glaciers melted, long before the Rhône Valley formed.