Performing considerably better than it did prior to bottling the 2010 Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf du Pape is one of the all-time great Vieux Telegraphes I have tasted in the last 3+ decades. I believe it is even superior to the 2007 which I had several weeks ago. The 2010 boasts a dense purple color along with a sumptuous bouquet of spring flowers boysenberries black cherries black currants nori (the sushi seaweed wrapper) black olives licorice and pepper. This full-bodied meaty thick juicy effort possesses a boatload of tannin but it also has incredible concentration. More massive than I remember from last year it has put on considerable weight and intensity. Forget it for 3-4 years and drink it over the following 25-30 years. Kudos to Daniel and Frederic Brunier!

The same blend and elevage as the '09 the 2010 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau shows more black fruit characteristics with beautiful minerality earth spice and pepper on the nose. This is followed by a medium to full-bodied wine that has solid structure loads of depth and mid-palate concentration and a very long finish. Certainly a worthy successor to the '09 and possibly even matching the fantastic '07 this brilliant hugely promising Châteauneuf-du-Pape should have upwards of two decades of prime drinking. 93-96+

Coated with unctuous linzer torte warm plum sauce and pure cassis fruit flavors while notes of maduro tobacco mint green fig and toasted anise flitter throughout. This is lush and dense but well-harnessed through the finish with a mouthwatering roasted apple wood note and lingering fresh acidity. Best from 2014 through 2030. 4200 cases imported. -JM

La Crau, in the southeastern corner of Châteauneuf, is a high, galet-covered plateau where the Bruniers farm 173 acres. In 2010, their vines produced a decadent red with a fine-boned complexity. It feels perfectly ripe, cherry-red and firm, its succulence pointed up by the bright acidity. It also feels completely natural, with a fruity licorice spice, wildflower notes and ruddy earth tones adding details that seem to reference a particular place.