Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge 2015

Presentation

Presentation
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
2015 was a magnificent year in the south as well, characterized by excellent sanitary conditions thanks to the mild, wet winter, followed by a relatively hot, dry spring. The vines coped well with the extreme heat and lack of rain in the summer thanks to good hydric reserves. Following satisfactory flowering, rapid and regular ripening was assisted by rain that fell in August, producing berries rich in phenolic compounds and anthocyanins. As in the north, harvesting took place under excellent conditions.
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.
Varietals
Grenache : 30%
Mourvèdre : 30%
Vaccarèse, Terret Noir, Muscardin, Clairette, Picpoul, Picardan, Bourboulenc, Roussanne : 15%
Counoise : 10%
Syrah : 10%
Cinsault : 5%

Advice

Serving
Around 15°C. If possible, decant the wine.
Tasting
With a beautiful intense carmine-red colour, this 2015 Beaucastel has a lively attack and very quickly reveals aromas of beautiful red fruit. The finish has delicate notes of liquorice with powerful but not aggressive tannins. A great vintage of Beaucastel red.

Reviews

93-95/100
"Brilliant ruby. Spice-accented aromas of ripe red fruits, candied flowers, earth and smoky minerals; a zesty white pepper quality emerges with aeration. Sweet, expansive and energetic on the palate, offering intense raspberry, spicecake and lavender flavors and a subtle touch of smoke. Completely stains the palate and shows outstanding clarity on the strikingly long, focused finish, where smooth tannins make a late appearance."
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95/100
"Depth and detail on the dark-fruit nose. Stylish, balanced and very persistent, delivers crunchy, spicy fruit. Drink 2020-2044."
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97/100
"All 13 grapes. This has a dark fruited, blueberry and blue plum nose with wide swinging tannins. Some white peppery elements, violets, brooding dark spices, blue fruits and dark plums. Builds from the ground up. Dark stones. Impressive, powerful wine."
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96/100
"Peppery fruits here from start to finish. On the palate, the wine is rich and full bodied, with real depth of flavor. Balanced, concentrated and long, the freshness in the fruits with their layers of flavor, interspersed with wild herbs works. The sweet, ripe, cherry and plummy fruits seem to go on and on. There is a richness and almost exotic character in the texture this year that is a complete turn on. This will age quite nicely."
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17,5/20
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17/20
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97/100
"A stunner from the get-go, with waves of thoroughly seductive boysenberry, plum, blueberry and raspberry reduction forming the core, while roasted apple wood, rooibos tea, bergamot, and anise notes flash throughout. Has plenty of bass, with a Turkish coffee accent and a hint of alder driving underneath. Everything moves in lockstep through the seriously long finish. Best from 2020 through 2045. From France."
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96+/100
"The 2015 Châteauneuf-du-Pape checks in as a blend of 30% each of Mourvèdre and Grenache, 10% Syrah, 10% Counoise and the rest a mix of permitted varieties, and they’re more and more keeping the stems with Syrah component. This is a beauty that offers more depth and richness than just about every other wine in the vintage. Blackberry, black raspberries, garrigue, spice and hints of saddle leather all flow to a full-bodied, rich, layered 2015 that has a stacked, concentrated mid-palate, ripe, sweet tannin and an undeniable opulence that’s missing from too many 2015s. Marc Perrin compared this cuvée to 2001, and I can’t disagree with him. Drink this blockbuster beauty anytime over the coming two decades."
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96/100
"This knockout wine utilizes all 13 varietals that are allowed in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. It has a stunning nose of green peppercorn, blackberry jam, herbs de provence, with bacon fat. The wet stone element comes on after roughly an hour decant. Firm and focused, the wine delivers delicious blackberry cordial, black olive tapenade, Umami and crushed wet stone flavors. The combination of weight and tension here makes this wine simply irresistible."
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