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It was Henri Brunier who penned the first chapter of this wonderful family story in 1891, in the village of Bédarrides, well known today as occupying the southeastern portion of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC area. In that year, he gifted to his son Hippolyte some plots of land on La Crau, a place in those days considered practically unfit for cultivation, its soil a thankless proposition due to a high density of pebbles. The latter planted his first vine stocks on this commanding plateau, where grapes had first been grown in the 14th century; and where, in 1821, Claude Chappe, inventor of the optical telegraph, built one of his signal towers. Hippolyte’s son, Jules, extended the estate to 42 acres and aptly named the fruits of his labours “Vieux Télégraphe”.At the end of the Second World War, Henri, the second thus named and the fourth generation, had the formidable task of reviving the estate and shaping its destiny. Not content with enlarging the Domaine to a single expanse of 136 acres, he gave this classic Châteauneuf-du-Pape wine its full dimension, creating a “Vieux Télégraphe” style and positioning it on all the world’s leading markets. Since the early 1980s his two sons, Frédéric and Daniel, have been tending to the family concern.They now farm 247 acres in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC area, and 49,5 acres of IGP Vaucluse and AOC Ventoux vines. Domaine Les Pallières must also be listed: acquired in 1998 in partnership with family friend Kermit Lynch, this single-plot 309-acre estate in Gigondas has 62 acres of vines. The year 1998 also marked the creation of Massaya in Lebanon in association with Sami and Ramzi Ghosn, which now makes wines from 123 acres of vines, planted mainly in the northeast Beqaa Valley. En 2015 et 2016, Nicolas fils de Frédéric et édouard, fils de Daniel, sont entrés dans l’histoire du Vieux Télégraphe, en intégrant pleinement l’entreprise à des postes clés. Manon, fille de Frédéric, les a rejoint en 2018… After more than 125 years in existence, the Domaine and its associated vineyards, guided by the fifth and the sixth generations of vignerons, have kept all of its initial philosophy very much alive. LOCATION: the stony Plateau de la Crau, in the south-east of the appellation, where the villages of Bédarrides, Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Courthézon meet. AREA: 123.5 acres. SOIL AND SUBSOIL: molasse from the Miocene epoch (1-1.5m in depth) sitting on a thick layer of clay with high stone content, and covered by the pebble blanket of Alpine diluvium generally known as “galets roulés”. GRAPE VARIETIES: 65% Grenache Noir, 15% Mourvèdre, 15% Syrah, Cinsault, Clairette and sundry others 5%. VINE AGE: 70 years on average. VINIFICATION: grapes are hand-picked, with double sorting at the vine, then a third sorting in the winery. Gentle pressing and selective destemming, followed by 30-40 days’ traditional fermentation in temperature–controlled stainless-steel and wooden vats. Pneumatic pressing, then systematic malolactic fermentation. MATURATION: 20-22 months in French oak foudres (60hl). Bottled unfined and unfiltered, then released at 2 years. PERSONALITY AND AGEING: a classic red Châteauneuf-du-Pape, very fine and elegant. The best vintages will age for 25 years and more. SERVING TEMPERATURE: 17°C. AVAILABLE SIZES: 75 cl, half-bt, magnum, jeroboam (3 l), methusaleh (6 l), salmanazar (9 l), nebuchadnezzar (15 l).