WS #7 of the World | 7 Critics 97-94pts | 3x Top 10 Finishes | Vieux Telegraphe CDP Legend

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Originally sent to our list on October 22, 2026. Pricing and availability reflect that date — for current pricing and stock, see artisan.wine.
Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2024, number 7: Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf-du-Pape La Crau 2020

Vieux Télégraphe La Crau 2020
The #7 Wine of the World - Sold Out Everywhere

Seven critics, 94 to 97 points, and Wine Spectator’s #7 Wine of the World. From $113.99 by the case, plus the last 2020 magnum.
Order The 2020 →
A Personal Note
Dear Artisans,
If you walk into a high-end wine shop in New York, San Francisco or Chicago today and ask for the 2020 Vieux Télégraphe, you may well be told it is gone.
The moment Wine Spectator named it the #7 Wine of the Year, the market moved. Only 2,500 cases of the 7,500 made were imported to the US. We still have it.
The Unanimous Verdict
In the wine world, critics rarely agree. One prefers power, another prefers elegance. The 2020 La Crau did the near-impossible: seven critics, from 94 to 97 points.
James Suckling, 97: “This amazing Chateauneuf-du-Pape squares the circle of southern richness and spring-like freshness in spite of coming from a very warm and dry vintage.” Decanter, 96: “Particularly fine and balanced, with plenty of concentration and a long finish.” And since January, Jeff Leve of The Wine Cellar Insider has added a 95.
Seven Top 100s, Three Top 10s
Vieux Télégraphe La Crau has made Wine Spectator’s Top 100 seven times, but landing in the Top 10 is rare. It has happened three times: #3, #5 and #7. Here is the company the 2020 keeps:
Vintage Rank Top 100 Of
2019 #71 2022
2007 #3 2009
2005 #5 2008
2004 #20 2007
2003 #53 2005
1998 #49 2000
2020 La Crau (this offer) #7 2024
Only the 2007 and the 2005 have ever ranked higher. Buying a case of the 2020 now is the closest you will get to buying the 2007 again before the world caught on.
The Valuation Grid
See how Vieux Télégraphe compares with its Châteauneuf neighbors when you strip away the hype and look at pedigree and price:
Châteauneuf Pedigree Market
Château Rayas Cult icon about $1,500+
Henri Bonneau Réserve des Célestins The legend about $350+
Domaine du Pegau Cuvée da Capo The titan about $400+
Vieux Télégraphe La Crau 2020 WS #7 $129.99 to $113.99
Six generations of the Brunier family, since 1891, on the stony Plateau de La Crau. Bottled unfined and unfiltered, and in the domaine’s words, the best vintages will age for 25 years and more.
Why The 2020, Why Now
There is no 2022 La Crau at all: a tornado and hailstorm hit the plateau in August 2022, and the domaine bottled none. The 2020 has what no young vintage can buy, a Wine Spectator Top 10 ranking and five years in bottle, and it is now entering the window Jeff Leve gives it, 2023 through 2037.
The Artisan Guarantee
Miss this, and your only option is the grey market, with no guarantee of storage. We source from the official importer, temperature-controlled from the winery to your door, and if a bottle is corked or damaged, we exchange it. Period.
James Tran
Artisan Wine & Spirits
Why This Matters
• #7 Wine of the World. Wine Spectator’s Top 100 of 2024.
• Seven critics, 94 to 97. James Suckling 97, Decanter 96, Wine Advocate and Jeff Leve 95, Wine Spectator, Vinous and Jeb Dunnuck 94.
• From $113.99. Elsewhere $235. Case pricing applies automatically.
• Two magnums. The last 2020 magnum, and the 2019 (#71 Top 100 of 2022), both $249.99.
The Wine · #7 Top 100 of 2024
2020 La Crau. Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
James Suckling 97: “This amazing Chateauneuf-du-Pape squares the circle.”
Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf-du-Pape “La Crau” 2020 bottle
Châteauneuf-du-Pape
WS #7 of 2024
Seven Critics
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape “La Crau” 2020
Southern Rhône · France · 750 mL
97
James Suckling
96
Decanter
95
Wine Advocate
95
Jeff Leve
94
Wine Spectator
94
Vinous
94
Jeb Dunnuck
Seven critics, from 94 to 97. Here are all seven reviews, highest score first.
James Suckling
97 Points
This amazing Chateauneuf-du-Pape squares the circle of southern richness and spring-like freshness in spite of coming from a very warm and dry vintage. The stony minerality, saltiness and dried flower character wind together to form a dynamic whole, driving this gracefully across the palate. But I must also mention the savory and licorice richness that is so deftly wrapped around them. Very long, salty and velvety finish. Drink or hold. April 2023
Decanter · Matt Walls
96 Points
Full, generous and broad. Acids are bright and vibrant, and there’s a fine but dense weft of tannins through the wine. Great energy and salinity this year, this is particularly fine and balanced, with plenty of concentration and a long finish. All from La Crau and fermented in tronconic wood barrels. Élevage in foudre. Oldest Grenache bunches aren’t destemmed. October 2021
Wine Advocate · Joe Czerwinski
95 Points
Tasted as a tank sample of the final blend, the 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape La Crau is a blend of approximately 60% Grenache, 20% Mourvèdre, 15% Syrah and 5% other permitted varieties, with about 30% whole bunches used in the ferments. Marked by ripe cherries and hints of complex garrigue notes on the nose, it’s full-bodied but also really elegant, with fine-grained, silky tannins, ample concentration and a long, surprisingly crisp finish. May 2022
The Wine Cellar Insider · Jeff Leve
95 Points
Flowers and cherries with a touch of spice form the core of the wine. … The fruit is polished, silky and elegant with a purity to the fruit on the mid-palate and in the finish. Produced from a blend of 60% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 15% Mourvedre and 5% Cinsault, along with other, assorted red and white grape varieties. 60-70% of the harvest is destemmed. Drink from 2023-2037. January 2023
Wine Spectator · #7 Top 100 of 2024
94 Points
This shows a lot of aromatic appeal, with dusty earth and singed incense notes covering a well of fresh cherry and red currant flavors. A gutsy, grippy style on the palate, with a cast iron spine bringing firm shape and underlying power. Slightly old-school, this still needs time to unfurl. Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah and Cinsault. Best from 2025 through 2035. 7,500 cases made, 2,500 cases imported. March 2024
Vinous · Nicolas Greinacher
94 Points
The 2020 Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau was vinified from partially de-stemmed grapes and aged in foudres. The 2020 La Crau displays pronounced aromas of rose petals, redcurrant, red and black cherry, raspberry, strawberry and hints of smoke. Full-bodied, refined and built like a brick wall, it will reward bottle age. June 2023
Jeb Dunnuck
94 Points
The 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape also showed well, with a lighter, elegant style that still brings plenty of intensity. Black cherries, mulberries, dried violets, and loamy earth define the bouquet, and it’s medium-bodied, balanced, and finesse-driven on the palate, with ripe tannins as well as a terrific sense of salinity on the finish. Give bottles 3-4 years and enjoy over the following 15+. November 2022
Elsewhere: $235.00
Our Price
1 to 2 bottles  $129.99 / bottle
3 to 5 bottles  $125.99 / bottle
6 to 11 bottles  $119.99 / bottle
12 or more  $113.99 / bottle
Applies automatically at checkout · no code needed
The Magnums
Two Magnums, Both $249.99.
The last 2020 magnum, and the 2019, a #71 Top 100 wine of 2022.
2020 Magnum
JS 97 · Decanter 96 · WS 94, #7 Top 100 of 2024
Elsewhere: $290.00
$249.99
The last one
Order The 2020 Magnum →
2019 Magnum
JS 97 · Wine Advocate 96+ · WS 93, #71 Top 100 of 2022
Elsewhere: $340.00
$249.99
$279.99 shelf · $30 off at checkout
Order The 2019 Magnum →
Both 1.5 liters, the format that ages most gracefully, and both $249.99 at checkout.
At The Table
Classic: rack of lamb with a crust of rosemary and thyme, which echoes the garrigue in the wine.
Vegetarian: wild mushroom and black truffle risotto, for the earthy, forest-floor notes.
Cheese: aged Comté or Manchego, whose salty crystals play off the fruit.
The gear: a Gabriel-Glas StandArt to lift the aromatics, and a Coravin to pour a glass tonight and revisit the bottle in two weeks.
The Bottom Line
The #7 Wine of the World. Still on our shelves.
Vieux Télégraphe La Crau 2020: $129.99, dropping to $113.99 by the case (Elsewhere $235.00). Seven critics, 94 to 97 points, and Wine Spectator’s #7 Wine of the World.
And the magnums: the last 2020 and the 2019, both $249.99. Buy a case to drink over the next decade, and a magnum for the night it deserves.
Cheers,
— James Tran
Artisan Wine & Spirits
Order The 2020 →
$129.99 to $113.99 · 750 mL
2020 Magnum →
$249.99 · The last one
2019 Magnum →
$249.99 at checkout
Artisan Wine & Spirits · 2495 Old Middlefield Way, Mountain View, CA 94043
Questions? Chat Live · sales@artisan.wine · 650-917-8080
The Artisan VIP List
Prices so low… we can’t show!
Join our VIP list to receive private sale offers with prices too low to publish, along with rare allocations.
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