Friend joined us for Christmas dinner, and as he was bringing the Donjon decided to open one from my dwindling supply of VT. For me this is a bittersweet wine; in the early eighties, I went to a tasting where it finished just behind the 1978 Rayas, and sold for $15 as opposed to $21 for the Rayas. Bought a case of the VT. Had I bought the Rayas, I could sell it and buy at least 10 cases of the Telegraph.
Anyway to the wines.
Taitinger Comtes 1995
This was my last bottle, and I may need to find a couple more bottles as it is now as good will ever be. A beautiful mellow Champagne, with apple and pear notes, a beautiful yeasty component, and a hint of honey. Charming and complex. 95 points
Mont Redon 1971
Browning but still some crimson. The initial earthiness threw me off. Some dried rose and the old leaf and wood seemed to point to Piedmont. Good fruit, but all the tertiary flavors there in force. Very good old fashioned wine. Slightly overwhelmed by the VT, but a lovely wine. 93 points
Vieux Telegraph 1978.
The neck label was intact, a small piece of paper clinging to the bottle identified the maker. Wine well into the neck. The color was dark with little or no browning and the nose was explosively fruit driven, and had the telltale characteristics of young Chateauneuf of white pepper and garrigue. Over the next hour, the wine opened up, powerful and rich. As it began to unfurl, the fruit stayed dominant. Incredible length, but still a tightness, as if the wine was keeping something back- it is amazingly young.
I still find it hard to believe that after thirty plus years, the wine was still such a long way from full maturity. A pleasure to drink now, based on this bottle, it requires more time. 97+ points