Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf du Pape La Crau 2020 (1.5L)

97 JS / 96 DE / 95 WS / 95 WCI / 93-95 WA / 94 JD / 94 FS / 94 VM

#7 Wine Spectator Top 100 2024
#80 James Suckling's Top 100 Wines of France 2023

This amazing Chateauneuf-du-Pape squares the circle of southern richness and spring-like freshness in spite of coming from a very warm and dry vintage. The stony minerality, saltiness and dried flower character wind together to form a dynamic whole, driving this gracefully across the palate. But I must also mention the savory and licorice richness that is so deftly wrapped around them. Very long, salty and velvety finish. Drink or hold. - James Suckling

Full, generous and broad. Acids are bright and vibrant, and there's a fine but dense weft of tannins through the wine. Great energy and salinity this year, this is particularly fine and balanced, with plenty of concentration and a long finish. All from La Crau and fermented in tronconic wood barrels. Élevage in foudre. Oldest Grenache bunches aren't destemmed. - Matt Walls, Decanter

This shows a lot of aromatic appeal, with dusty earth and singed incense notes covering a well of fresh cherry and red currant flavors. A gutsy, grippy style on the palate, with a cast iron spine bringing firm shape and underlying power. Slightly old-school, this still needs time to unfurl. Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah and Cinsault. Best from 2025 through 2035. 7,500 cases made, 2,500 cases imported. - KB, Wine Spectator

Tasted as a tank sample of the final blend, the 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape La Crau is a blend of approximately 60% Grenache, 20% Mourvèdre, 15% Syrah and 5% other permitted varieties, with about 30% whole bunches used in the ferments. Marked by ripe cherries and hints of complex garrigue notes on the nose, it's full-bodied but also really elegant, with fine-grained, silky tannins, ample concentration and a long, surprisingly crisp finish. - Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate

The 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape also showed well, with a lighter, elegant style that still brings plenty of intensity. Black cherries, mulberries, dried violets, and loamy earth define the bouquet, and it's medium-bodied, balanced, and finesse-driven on the palate, with ripe tannins as well as a terrific sense of salinity on the finish. Give bottles 3-4 years and enjoy over the following 15+. - Jeb Dunnuck

The 2020 Châteauneuf-duPape La Crau was vinified from partially destemmed grapes and aged in foudre. The 2020 La Crau displays pronounced aromas of rose petals, redcurrant, red and black cherry, raspberry, strawberry and hints of smoke. Fullbodied, refined and built like a brick wall, it will reward bottle age. -- Nicolas Greinacher, Vinous Media