Megaphone (a new addition to the line-up from Vignobles Brunier) is created with the same love, care and attention to detail that has made global icons of the wines produced at Vieux Telegraphe. The grapes for Megaphone 2013 are harvested by hand from a small 8 acre plot. There are three rounds of sorting and selection (two in the vineyard and one upon arrival at the cellar) that ensure only the cleanest and ripest fruit makes it into the winery.

Enticing raspberry perfume, laden with cherries, liquorice and savoury notes fill the nose. Vibrant earthy plum with hints of spice of cumin, wooden bark and chocolate round the palate and give it an unctuous mouth feel. A well balanced and true iconic gnarly McLaren Vale Grenache.

If you’ve been following our newsletters for any period of time, you’ll know that I’ve got a bit of a thing for old vines – and the impact they can have on wine quality: low yields, stunning complexity and breathtaking concentration.

“Telegramme” is the “2nd wine” of Vieux Telegraphe – one of the noble names of France’s southern Rhone Valley and one of the great wine estates of France. Vieux Telgraphe produces serious wines that are a must-have for serious wine collectors. Their flagship bottling from at Vieux Telegraphe comes from the famous “La Crau” site – a vineyard that would undoubtedly be amongst the very top “Grand Crus” if the Rhone used the same vineyard designation system found in Burgundy.