Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe La Crau 2020

The Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe La Crau has a saturated ruby colour. On the nose, deep-pitched red/blue fruit liqueur aromas pick up suggestions of licorice, pipe tobacco and pungent flowers and herbs with air. In a lush, weighty style, the wine offers expansive black raspberry, cherry cola, singed plum and fruitcake flavours sharpened by a jolt of spiciness on the back half. For all the Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe La Crau's richness, it's energetic as well, showing solid, spice and floral driven persistence on the finish, which is framed by velvety, even tannins.

"If anyone tells you that Châteauneuf is just a big red that’s never elegant, then they need to taste this masterpiece of elegance. So many spicy and savory nuances on the very concentrated but almost perfectly proportioned palate. This is both joyful and serious at the very long, focused finish. Decades of aging potential! Drink or hold." - James Suckling, 97 points

"The 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape La Crau is a hugely successful vintage, marked by scents of sun-warmed stones, garrigue, black cherries and black olives. Full-bodied, rich and velvety, it finishes with tremendous length and softly dusty tannins, which should help ensure a long, positive evolution. Rating: 96+" - RP, 96+ points

"Silky and refined, with focused cherry puree, plum reduction and raspberry coulis notes racing through, infused subtly with rose petal, warm stone and lavender hints. Features nice perfume through the finish. Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah and Cinsault." - Wine Spectator, 93 points (#71 Top 100 Wines in the World 2022)

The 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape is ruby/purple-hued and has the classic translucent color of the domaine. It's more precise and focused than the Télégramme and will need more time, but it offers a complex, gorgeous bouquet of red and black fruits, crushed stone, wild fennel, and ground pepper. Pure, medium to full-bodied, and elegant, do your best to hide bottles for 5-7 years and it's going to keep for two decades." - Jeb Dunnuck, 94 points