2022 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Piedlong, Famille Brunier, Rhône

Cask sample. Brimming with red fruits. A real sweetness and firm tannins on the attack – an earthy and spiced note on the mid palate and a rich, layered finish. Pretty sweet sensation of fruit here. Attractive and great concentration of fruit. A baby but shows great potential. 

Drink 2028 - 2040

A blend of 90% Grenache and 10% Mourvèdre Pignan), the 2022 Châteauneuf Du Pape Piedlong sees a touch of stems and is raised in larger foudre for two years. It's another up-front, sexy, perfumed 2022 with spiced red and black fruits, garrigue, and savory flower notes to go with a medium to full-bodied, layered style on the palate. It has plenty of tannins, but this beauty will show well right out of the gate.

Unfortunately, Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe saw most of their old vines wiped out due to the devastating hailstorm and tornado on August 14th, forcing them to harvest what they could shortly thereafter. As such, they opted to not produce their Grand Vin and blended everything red and white varieties) into their Télégramme cuvee.

A superb effort, Piedlong's 2022 Chateauneuf du Pape is the same blend as typical—90% Grenache and 10% Mourvèdre—but a step up in quality compared to the 2021. From sandy soils, it delivers delicate florals, alpine strawberries and garrigue-like notes, while being full-bodied, ripe and round in the mouth. Silky, with bright acids, it finishes long, spicy and zesty. Impressive.

Taking its name from a lieu-dit, Piedlong is a Brunier family project focused on Grenache Noir from sandy soils, in contrast to the galets roulés that characterize the La Crau bottling from Vieux Télégraphe. The usual blend is 90% Grenache from le Pied Long and 10% Mourvèdre from Pignan. This is a lighter-hued, more ephemeral expression of Grenache and CdP, yet it's one that can still possess ample aging potential. The 2021 is particularly successful in a challenging vintage, even if it is more of an early-drinker.

Drink 2024 - 2040