By: AJ McClellan
A great night at Graileys… We had Pierre de Benoist, winemaker for Domaine de Villaine and nephew of Aubert de Villaine (owner of DRC) as well as Daniel Brunier, owner and vigneron of Vieux Telegraph in to taste us on their lineup of great wines.
Pierre was soft spoken but once you got him going he was very passionate and knowledgeable about his wines. His whites from Bouzeron immediately caught my eye, made from the Aligote grape. Aligote is known as a quaffable wine of no real complexity or aging potential. Pierre has taken this misunderstood grape and allowed it to blossom into an exceptional wine with great potential. We tasted his 09 and 06 vintages and the wine was a unique treasure that showed petrol on the nose backed by a white slate minerality and summer flowers. The palate was unique as well showing a richness mixed with a crisp minerality that made the wine a treat to drink. The 06 was showing very well with 4 years in the bottle proving that Aligote, if taken care of, can turn into a beautiful wine.
As if having Pierre in was not enough we also had Daniel Brunier sitting across the table. Daniel is the owner of Vieux Telegraph, one of the oldest houses in Chateauneuf-du-Pape and a staple of quality wine in the region. With quick wit and a dry sense of humor sitting the presence of these two ledgends was almost over whelming. The new vintage of Vieux Telegraph was amazing. The rouge was surprisingly silky and smooth given the youth of the wines and the white, OH THE WHITE! I was blown away by their blanc! While most CDP blanc’s have troubles because their broad, heavy palate is out of whack due to a lacking of acidity the Vieux Telegraph was in perfect harmony. A beautiful floral nose melting into soft minerality and notes of tropical fruits paired with a robust palate of pears, apples, apricots, white pepper, spring flowers, and even a hint of earth proved to be in perfect balance with a crisp refreshing acidity that brought the whole package together.