Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge 1994

Presentation

Presentation
Château de Beaucastel has long been considered one of the great wines of France. It is unanimously renowned for its balance, elegance and ageing potential. Beaucastel has an extraordinary terroir at the Northern end of the appellation with heavy exposure to the Mistral. All 13 varieties of the appellation have been organically grown here since the sixties.
The vintage
A good vintage.
A hot summer, with a cold harvest period and a very small crop yield.
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 authorised by the appellation.
Ageing
Each variety is harvested manually and separately. Vinification is completed in truncated oak barrels for the reductive grapes (Mourvèdre and Syrah) and in traditional tiled cement tanks for the oxidative grapes (such as Grenache). After the malolactic fermentations, the family blends the different varieties and then the wine ages in oak Foudres for a year before being bottled.
Varietals
Grenache : 30%
Mourvèdre : 30%
Vaccarèse, Terret Noir, Muscardin, Clairette, Picpoul, Picardan, Bourboulenc, Roussanne : 15%
Syrah : 10%
Counoise : 10%
Cinsault : 5%

Advice

Serving
15°C and if possible decant before serving.
Tasting
A very beautiful red colour for a wine of 15 years.
The nose is very open with notes of old leather, vanilla, game and lightly smoked.
The mouth is suave and elegant, without any astringency, and the tannins are sweet.

A lovely wine to drink now.

Reviews

"A nice mix of red fruit, herb and sweetly earthy flavors give appealing complexity, while soft tannins make it accessible now. The long finish promises improvement with age."
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"The 1994 was also outstanding. Considering it is nearly 20 years old, it still had incredible fruit flavour, but with slightly sweeter tannins and the all important freshness."
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"This wine is a bit closed at the time of tasting and requires a few more years ageing in the cellar before opening. "
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