2004 Chateauneuf du Pape Telegramme

The second wine of Vieux Telegraphe is Telegramme, and the 2004 exhibits a deep ruby color and loads of strawberry and black cherry fruit with incense, licorice, and Mediterranean sea breeze notes. It is ripe, medium-bodied, and best drunk over the next 4-5 years. At the request of Daniel Brunier, all of the estates where he produces wines have been grouped together. There are some changes, several of which I noted last year. The second wine of Vieux Telegraphe has changed its name from Vieux Mas des Papes to Telegramme, and of course there is a major effort underway by Brunier to dramatically increase the quality of La Roquette with the introduction of a new luxury cuvee of about 4,000 bottles made from 100% Grenache from 70-year-old vines planted in a sector of Chateauneuf du Pape known as Les Pialons. The importer is Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524, except for the Domaine La Roquette, which is imported by Diageo Chateau Estate Wines, New York, NY; tel. (212) 419-1400