Winemaker Notes
If Télégramme is more about fruit than stones, it is still undeniably Châteauneuf, expressing the nobility of carefully farmed Grenache from the Rhône’s finest terroirs. This unfiltered bottling is one of the best editions to date, with sensual red fruit that is both mouth-filling and weightless, as luxurious as it is accessible. Perfect for enjoying now and over the next few years, it is an ideal match for whatever other fresh, seasonal flavors are on your plate.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A well-balanced, crunchy and succulent grenache-dominant red. On the nose it shows sweet cherries, strawberries and some warm spices. Full-bodied with fine, ripe tannins. Generously fruited but balanced, with spice and orange peel character. Focused and flavorful. Drink or hold.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The entry-level cuvée coming from tiny yields due to shatter and mildew, the 2024 Châteauneuf Du Pape Télégramme is based on 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 6% Mourvèdre, and 4% Cinsault, aged 15-16 months in 30- to 60-hectoliter French oak foudres. It offers attractive notes of raspberry and darker berries, pepper, sappy herbs, and darker mineral nuances. Medium-bodied, with a supple, elegant mouthfeel, fine tannins, and a good finish, it should shine right out of the gate.
Barrel Sample: 89-91 -
Vinous
Mixing 85% Grenache with the remainder split between Syrah and Mourvèdre from fully destemmed grapes, the 2024 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Télégramme unwinds with fragrant orange blossom and strawberry jam aromas. Medium- to full-bodied and perfumed, the open-knit 2024 checks out with medium length. Let’s see whether it can pick up a little more substance during the remainder of its élevage.
Barrel Sample: 89-91
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
Famous for its full-bodied, seductive and spicy reds with flavor and aroma characteristics reminiscent of black cherry, baked raspberry, garrigue, olive tapenade, lavender and baking spice, Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the leading sub-appellation of the southern Rhône River Valley. Large pebbles resembling river rocks, called "galets" in French, dominate most of the terrain. The stones hold heat and reflect it back up to the low-lying gobelet-trained vines. Though the galets are typical, they are not prominent in every vineyard. Chateau Rayas is the most obvious deviation with very sandy soil.
According to law, eighteen grape varieties are allowed in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and most wines are blends of some mix of these. For reds, Grenache is the star player with Mourvedre and Syrah coming typically second. Others used include Cinsault, Counoise and occasionally Muscardin, Vaccarèse, Picquepoul Noir and Terret Noir.
Only about 6-7% of wine from Châteauneuf-du-Pape is white wine. Blends and single-varietal bottlings are typically based on the soft and floral Grenache Blanc but Clairette, Bourboulenc and Roussanne are grown with some significance.
The wine of Chateauneuf-du-Pape takes its name from the relocation of the papal court to Avignon. The lore says that after moving in 1309, Pope Clément V (after whom Chateau Pape-Clément in Pessac-Léognan is named) ordered that vines were planted. But it was actually his successor, John XXII, who established the vineyards. The name however, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, translated as "the pope's new castle," didn’t really stick until the 19th century.