More of the 97 Pt (JS) Château Beaucastel CDP

BIG & ELEGANT CHÂTEAU DE BEAUCASTEL

“We promoted one of the most sought-after Châteauneuf-du-Papes last fall and it sold out in a flash, forcing us to beg for more. It took a few months, but the 97 point 2020 Château Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape is now back in stock at the Wine House! It is considered one of the wines of the vintage, and James Suckling describes it as 'simultaneously very big and elegant.' Last week, it was one of the highlights at our in-store tasting for the Famille Perrin wines.

Château de Beaucastel is one of the world’s greatest wineries, with a tremendous history, yet they don't rest on their laurels and are one of the more progressive and forward-thinking estates out there. Set in a magical place, surrounded by olive trees and truffle oaks, centuries of old vines support the 13 varieties that make up their famed Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

The Château reports that the 2020 vintage in the Southern Rhône displayed good weather conditions that resulted in a harvest that was 'very healthy with beautiful juicy and very ripe grapes, reasonable alcohol levels, good acidity and ... great balance.' The resulting juicy and fruity wines also have characteristic notes of leather, garrigue herbs and pepper, as well as silky, plush tannins. Suckling calls this a 'very dense and meaty' wine with 'an entire microcosm of spice and a whiff of smoked bacon.' This vintage also has terrific aging potential. Jeb Dunnuck notes it has 'a tight, focused style on the palate that bodes well for longevity.'

The blend is predominantly Grenache and Mourvèdre, with several other varieties in smaller percentages, including a healthy dose of CdP-approved white grapes like Roussanne, Picpoul, and Bourboulenc. Stock up now on this Southern Rhône icon!” – Jim Knight, The Wine House

Are you a French wine afficionado? Then join us Wednesday, March 22 for the In-Store Chablis Event Featuring the Wines of Patrick Piuze. Piuze is one of Chablis' most respected winemakers, and the incomparable Aline Thiebaut of Aline Wines will lead you in a tasting of 9 of his current releases, ranging from Bourgogne Blanc to Chablis Grand Cru. Taste how expressive and charismatic Chardonnay can be in the hands of a master!

97 Points: “Very dense black-fruit aromas, but also licorice, an entire microcosm of spice and a whiff of smoked bacon. Very dense and meaty with an incredible tannin structure that enables this to be simultaneously very big and elegant. Super-long finish with enormous mineral freshness. Drink or hold.” – James Suckling (March 2022)

95-97 Points: “Beaucastel's 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape is shaping up as a blend of 30% each Grenache and Mourvèdre, with 10% each Counoise and Syrah, plus 20% other permitted varieties, including a healthy proportion of white grapes. Complex and red-fruited, with hints of flowers and garrigue, it's expansive and richly textured on the palate, finishing long and silky. Drink Date 2023 - 2037” – Joe Czerwinski, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate (May 2022)

96 Points: “Fresh and bright nose, then a palate with exceptionally smooth and fine tannins, lovely acidity and notes of blackberry and raspberry juice. Particularly fine, elegant and balanced this year. Grenache and Cinsault fermented in cement, Syrah and Mourvèdre fermented in foudre. Drinking Window: 2028 - 2042” – Matt Walls, Decanter (September 2021)

94-96 Points: “The 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape was scheduled to be bottled the week after this tasting, and it's the usual blend of 35% Mourvedre, 25% Grenache, and the rest Syrah, Counoise, and other permitted varieties. While the estate compares this to their 2016, it reminds me slightly of their 1990 and has a wonderful perfume of red, blue, and black fruits, as well as sappy garrigue, saddle leather, and ground pepper. It's beautifully textured, medium to full-bodied, has a good sense of freshness, and fine tannins, as well as a tight, focused style on the palate that bodes well for longevity. It deserves 7-8 years of bottle age and should be long-lived.” – Jeb Dunnuck (November 2021)

FROM THE WINERY

THE STORY
Château de Beaucastel has long been regarded as one of the greatest wines in France. It is notorious for its elegance, balance and ageing potential. Beaucastel has an exceptional terroir at the Northern limit of Châteauneuf du Pape, exposed to the Mistral wind. All thirteen varieties of the appellation have been organically grown since the sixties.

THE VINTAGE
The 2020 vintage in Southern Rhône was favoured by very good weather conditions, it is an optimal vintage, in terms of quality. Not as hot as in 2019, this year was very windy, throughout the growing cycle, with light rainfalls. After a fairly mild winter (one single episode of frost was noted during the night of March 24, but only the early ripening plots were very slightly affected). The spring was radiant, quite warm and very windy, which allowed the soils to preserve their freshness. Flowering began on May 18, under very healthy conditions. The good weather continued in June, July and August, with plenty heat but lower temperatures than in 2019, cool and humid nights and wind which continued to blow, preserving the freshness of the vines and maintaining perfect sanitary conditions for the grapes. The harvest, which was fairly early, therefore began under these very good conditions on August 26 with the white Côtes-du-Rhône and continued until the end of September with the Mourvèdre. September was warm at the beginning of the month and then more temperate, offering idyllic harvest conditions and allowed each plot to be harvested at perfect maturity. The harvest was very healthy with beautiful juicy and very ripe grapes, reasonable alcohol levels, good acidity and already a great balance.

LOCATION
Châteauneuf du Pape, between Orange and Avignon, Château de Beaucastel red is a 70-hectare vineyard.

TERROIR
Château de Beaucastel is 110 hectares, with one single plot at the north of the appellation. The terroir is archetypal of the best terroirs in Châteauneuf: rolled pebbles on the surface, sand, clay and limestone deeper down. The vines are old and have been organically grown for 50 years, which has allowed the roots to grow exceptionally deep.
Beaucastel grows all thirteen grape varieties authorized by the appellation.

AGEING
Each variety is harvested separately and manually. Vinification takes place in oak fermenters for the reductive varieties (Mourvèdre, Syrah) and in traditional enameled concrete tanks for the Oxidative grapes (all the others). Once the malolactic fermentation is finished, the Famille Perrin blends the different varieties. The blend is then aged in oak Foudres for a year before being bottled.

CÉPAGES
Grenache: 30%
Mourvèdre: 30%
Syrah: 15%
Counoise: 10%
Vaccarèse, Terret Noir, Muscardin, Clairette, Picpoul, Picardan, Bourboulenc, Roussanne: 10%
Cinsault: 5%
abv: 14.5%

TASTING NOTES
Magnificent deep-colour of an intense ruby-red. Typical of Beaucastel, the nose is rich and complex but very fresh, with an opulent aromatic bouquet dominated by notes of fresh fruit and spices. Full-bodied, soft, eminently silky, this very elegant wine reveals a superb, dense structure on the palate, very fine tannins and gourmet aromas of fresh red fruit, currants and noble spices. The finish has great length, ample and harmonious. A fruity vintage with great aging potential.

ABOUT THE WINERY

Among the prominent people in the town of Courthezon during the sixteenth century was the Beaucastel family. In 1549, “Noble Pierre de Beaucastel” bought “a barn with its land holdings, containing 25 saumées at Coudoulet”. More than four centuries later, this remarkable domaine, known today at Château de Beaucastel, is producing what most people acknowledge to be the finest wines of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. In 1903, a young chemical engineer and mathematics professor named Pierre Perrin, together with his father-in-law, began to restore the domaine following the ravages of phylloxera. His son, Jacques Perrin, took over the domaine in 1953 and introduced many innovations such as improved grape varietals, integrated pest control, and a flash-heat exchanger. Today, the third and fourth generations of Perrins, François and Jean-Pierre and Jean-Pierre’s sons Pierre, Marc and Thomas, continue in the tradition of their father and grandfather.