Description
The AOC for Châteauneuf-du-Pape is in the Rhône Valley stretching from Orange to Avignon. Domaine Vieux Télégraphe was founded in 1895, and takes its name Vieux Télégraphe (Old Telegraph) from a rocky plateau of the Domaine where in 1792 Mr. Chappe, the inventor of the optical telegraph, installed a relay tower. Total acreage: 125 acres of red vines, located on the Plateaux des Crau, on the southeast side of the appellation at an altitude of 360 feet. The vines used for the production of white Vieux Télégraphe are planted on the same soil and sub-soil. Soil: The soil is covered by large round stones, galets roules, then a layer 3 to 5 feet deep of sandy limestone on top of a deep layer of red clay.
Grape Varieties : 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 6% Mourvèdre and 4% Cinsault.
Vinifiaction : grapes are hand-picked, with double sorting at the vine, then a third sorting in the winery. They are destemmed, followed by 25-30 days’ traditional fermentation in temperaturecontrolled vats. Pneumatic pressing, then systematic
malolactic fermentation.