Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe, Historic vineyard in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, France

Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe is a vineyard sprawling across 70 hectares on the La Crau plateau, growing Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre grapes suited to this southern terrain. The estate maintains a tasting room in Bédarrides where visitors can sample both red and white wines from their collection.

Hippolyte Brunier planted the first vines on the Plateau de la Crau in 1898, between Bédarrides, Châteauneuf and Courthézon. His son Jules expanded the vineyard to nearly 17 hectares and named the estate after a semaphore tower that once stood in the vines. After the phylloxera crisis, Henri Brunier rebuilt the property and passed it to his sons Daniel and Frédéric in 1986.

The Brunier family has shaped the local winemaking tradition through hands-on methods passed down over generations, with their approach reflecting the character of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Visitors can experience these practices directly during tastings and understand how family values influence every bottle.

Visiting the estate is most convenient through the tasting room in Bédarrides, where staff guide you through the wines offered. Booking ahead ensures you receive personal attention and a structured experience.

The estate takes its name from a semaphore tower that once stood in the vineyard, part of the optical telegraph line that carried messages across France before electric telegraphy. Jules Brunier, who expanded the vines to nearly 17 hectares, chose the name from that tower. The tower in the photograph, with its metal arm on a flat roof, recalls that signalling system.