Châteauneuf-du-Pape 'La Crau' Rouge

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One cannot think of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the most celebrated cru of the southern Rhône, without thinking of Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe. The Brunier family is legendary in its own right, having been rooted to the enigmatic plateau known as La Crau for over one hundred years. The wines of Vieux Télégraphe evoke the Southern Rhône in its purest form: they reflect its dramatic climate, the rough terrain that defines the soil, the full sun exposure at a higher altitude, and the typicity of the varietals with an emphasis on Grenache, and of course the influence of their caretakers, the Brunier family, is also woven throughout. For many,'La Crau' is Châteauneuf-du-Pape’s grandest cru. The wines of V.T. are classic, displaying strength, rusticity, earthiness, and tremendous longevity. The final blend consists solely of old-vine fruit from La Crau, imparting incredible depth, concentration, and a filtered-through-stones minerality that provides excellent freshness. The 'La Crau' Rouge is a hand-harvested, partially de-stemmed, Grenache-based blend, which fermented for 25-35 days in both stainless steel and wood, before resting in cement tanks for 10 months followed by 12 months of maturation in oak foudres. It is bottled unfiltered, and will age beautifully. Full bodied but exuding finesse, the wine is a balancing act of richness and freshness, acidity and maturity, with spiced blackberry and plum, garrigue, black pepper and leather, with rounded and smooth, but present, tannin. 14.5% ABV Show more