Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2018
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Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The 2018 Chateau de Beaucastel red has an elegant deep ruby-red colour. The powerful and elegant nose offers superb notes of spices, cherries and cocoa. Elegantly and perfectly balanced, the mouth reveals a beautiful dense structure with fine tannins and complex aromas of red fruit such as blackcurrants and floral notes. The finish is very long and harmonious. A very sophisticated wine, signature of Beaucastel’s style.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
At the moment, Beaucastel's 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape bucks the vintage trend toward open, expressive wines, seeming a bit closed on the nose and tight on the palate. It also shows a bit more depth and tannin than many of its peers. A blend of 30% each Grenache and Mourvèdre, with 15% Syrah, 10% Counoise and smaller amounts of other permitted varieties (including some white grapes), it delivers hints of mixed red berries and garrigue, a medium to full-bodied feel in the mouth, some dusty tannins and a long, mouthwatering finish. Give it another couple of years to soften and reopen, then drink it over the next decade and a half. Rating : 95+
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Decanter
A tight and compelling tannic structure, muscular and knitted down at this stage, rich and concentrated with blackberries and olive paste. Needs a few years, but already you can discern the floral aromatics that overlay the core, and this is going to evolve into a beautiful Beaucastel. Organic. Blend completed by 10% Counoise, 10% blend of Vaccarese, Terret Noir, Muscardin Clairette, Picpoul, Picardan Bouroulence, plus 10% Roussanne and 5% Cinsault. Drinking Window 2022 - 2044
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Wine Spectator
Really pure in profile and alluring in feel, with cassis and cherry puree notes seamlessly layered with melted red licorice and fruitcake notes. A dash of roasted apple wood underscores the finish, letting the fruit be the primary player. Subtle mesquite and incense accents are tucked in the background for now. Approachable, but no rush. Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Counoise, Vaccarèse, Terret, Muscardin, Clairette, Picpoul, Bourboulenc, Picardan and Roussanne. Drink now through 2038.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Moving to the reds, the 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape showed nicely with a deep ruby/purple color as well as classic Beaucastel aromas and flavors of darker currents, blueberries, smoked meats, black licorice and roasted herbs. With medium to full-bodied richness, a pure, clean, elegant texture, sweet tannins, and a great finish, this seamless, elegant Beaucastel will be approachable in its youth, yet still have 20+ years of prime drinking.
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James Suckling
Very rich aromas of blackberries, chocolate and crushed stones. Some cloves and black pepper, too. Medium-bodied with round, juicy tannins that are soft, polished and nicely integrated into the wine. Delicious finish. Very drinkable now, but will improve with age.
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The first evidence of Château de Beaucastel as it exists today is in the sixteenth century. In 1909, Pierre Traminer bought the estate and then transferred it to his son-in-law Pierre Perrin, a scientist who further developed Beaucastel. His son, Jacques, continued his father’s efforts until 1978 and today, the torch is carried by Jacques’ sons, Jean-Pierre and François. They are joined by the fifth generation of Perrins—Marc, Pierre, Thomas, Cécile, Charles, Matthieu, and César.
The vineyards of Château de Beaucastel are located on historic land where each of the 13 approved grapes varietals of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation are planted. The art of blending these 13 grapes has been passed down from one generation to the next. Beaucastel is, first of all, a family story, the story of Famille Perrin. Their main strength is being able to blend the talents of each family member to run the wine estate under common values: absolute respect for land and terroir; biodynamic culture as a philosophy of life; and the research of truth, balance, and elegance.
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
Famous for its full-bodied, seductive and spicy reds with flavor and aroma characteristics reminiscent of black cherry, baked raspberry, garrigue, olive tapenade, lavender and baking spice, Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the leading sub-appellation of the southern Rhône River Valley. Large pebbles resembling river rocks, called "galets" in French, dominate most of the terrain. The stones hold heat and reflect it back up to the low-lying gobelet-trained vines. Though the galets are typical, they are not prominent in every vineyard. Chateau Rayas is the most obvious deviation with very sandy soil.
According to law, eighteen grape varieties are allowed in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and most wines are blends of some mix of these. For reds, Grenache is the star player with Mourvedre and Syrah coming typically second. Others used include Cinsault, Counoise and occasionally Muscardin, Vaccarèse, Picquepoul Noir and Terret Noir.
Only about 6-7% of wine from Châteauneuf-du-Pape is white wine. Blends and single-varietal bottlings are typically based on the soft and floral Grenache Blanc but Clairette, Bourboulenc and Roussanne are grown with some significance.
The wine of Chateauneuf-du-Pape takes its name from the relocation of the papal court to Avignon. The lore says that after moving in 1309, Pope Clément V (after whom Chateau Pape-Clément in Pessac-Léognan is named) ordered that vines were planted. But it was actually his successor, John XXII, who established the vineyards. The name however, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, translated as "the pope's new castle," didn’t really stick until the 19th century.