Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape "La Crau" 2019

97 points James Suckling: "If anyone tells you that Châteauneuf is just a big red that’s never elegant, then they need to taste this masterpiece of elegance. So many spicy and savory nuances on the very concentrated but almost perfectly proportioned palate. This is both joyful and serious at the very long, focused finish. Decades of aging potential! Drink or hold. (3/7/22)"

96+ points Joe Czerwinski (Wine Advocate): "The 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape La Crau is a hugely successful vintage, marked by scents of sun-warmed stones, garrigue, black cherries and black olives. Full-bodied, rich and velvety, it finishes with tremendous length and softly dusty tannins, which should help ensure a long, positive evolution. Drink: 2023-2040. (May 2022)"

95 points Josh Raynolds (Vinous): "Saturated ruby. Deep-pitched red/blue fruit liqueur aromas pick up suggestions of licorice, pipe tobacco and pungent flowers and herbs with air. In a lush, weighty style, offering expansive black raspberry, cherry cola, singed plum and fruitcake flavors sharpened by a jolt of spiciness on the back half. For all this wine's richness, it's energetic as well, showing solid, spice- and floral-driven persistence on the finish, which is framed by velvety, even tannins. Drink: 2026-2036. (Oct 2021)"

94+ points Jeb Dunnuck: "The 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape is ruby/purple-hued and has the classic translucent color of the domaine. It's more precise and focused than the Télégramme and will need more time, but it offers a complex, gorgeous bouquet of red and black fruits, crushed stone, wild fennel, and ground pepper. Pure, medium to full-bodied, and elegant, do your best to hide bottles for 5-7 years and it's going to keep for two decades. Drink: 2026-2048. (11/3/21)"

94 points La Revue du Vin de France: "We are seduced by the red wines of Chateauneuf... The Domaine cuvee, in 2019, is more opulent, without taking anything away from the dimension of the terroir. (2023)"

93 points/'Top 100 Wines of 2022 (#71),' Wine Spectator: "[$105 list] Silky and refined, with focused cherry puree, plum reduction and raspberry coulis notes racing through, infused subtly with rose petal, warm stone and lavender hints. Features nice perfume through the finish. Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah and Cinsault. Drink now through 2036. (4/30/22)"

****** John Livingstone-Learmonth (The Cradle of The Rhône): "Quite a full red colour; the nose is herbal, garrigue swept, bears nuances of pine, menthol, is going along well, all together, with lots of potential. The palate gives a sturdy immediate surge on the attack, a thick wave, really profound, while there’s major support in mid-palate that gives a platform to launch the second half and the finish – a very good sign. The distribution of its resources is great, means it’s balanced, a wine on a big stage serving a high level of interest. It’s one for a few magnums, drink from 2027. “It wasn’t like this at the time of the harvest – it was hard'and tannic then, held a lot of matter, but only came through eight months later,” Edouard Brunier. “This is one of our very, very Grand years; the tannins were forceful at first.' Daniel Brunier. 2053-55. Oct 2021."