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Producer | Brunier Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe |
Country | France |
Region | Rhone Valley |
Subregion | Chateauneuf-du-Pape |
Varietal | Rhone Red Blend |
Vintage | 2020 |
Sku | 210000015165 |
Size | 750ml |
Vignobles Brunier's Piedlong bottling is an effort to deliver classic, stony Châteauneuf that is accessible both in price and in its early stages of life. Sleek and suave on the palate, the Piedlong culminates in a noble tannin that will remind you of the southern Rhône’s potential for wines of real finesse.
Very spicy and savory with grilled rosemary and dried flower nuances. Very powerful but extremely focused with a great mineral freshness and salinity, it’s really hard to believe this easily has 15% alcohol! Very fine tannins and a delicate vegetal quality that makes them feel even more lively. Long extremely animating finish with so much Mediterranean herb character. 90% grenache and 10% mourvedre. Drink or hold.
Beautifully fragrant style, with rose and raspberry. Gentle, soft, not massive but rounded and smooth on the palate, showing bright acidity, and while the tannins are present they're melted into the wine. Drinkable, approachable, pure and well-balanced - very good this year. Grenache fermented in concrete, Mourvèdre in wood. Two years of élevage in foudres. No destemming with half of the Grenache.
The 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape Piedlong is 90% Grenache from the lieu-dit le Pied Long (sometimes written as one word), plus 10% Mourvèdre from Pignan, so sandy soils—in contrast to Vieux Telegraph's preponderance of la Crau's galets roulés. At 50% whole bunches, it's a bit stemmy and herbal but also soaring and gorgeous on the nose, with scents of roses, menthol, cherries and raspberries. Full-bodied but airy in feel and silky in texture, with a long, lingering finish, it looks to be pretty special this vintage.
The 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Piedlong is lighter ruby-hued, and despite coming from pebbly soils, I would have guessed it came from a sandy terroir if tasted blind. Strawberries, cherries, white flowers, and a touch of chalky minerality define the nose, and it's medium-bodied and finesse-driven on the palate, with ultra-fine tannins. Readers that love a more Burgundian style in their Châteauneuf du Pape should seek this puppy out.