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
2021 is a vintage marked by freshness, which is similar to the vintages we had in the eighties and nineties. It is also what we call a "winegrower vintage", human intervention and the care given to the vines were decisive for the quality of the vintage. Marked by climatic vagaries, with an episode of frost in April and interrupted harvest because of rain, this year has indeed required constant investment from our teams in the vineyard. Their attention and their commitment have borne their fruit: this vintage is very promising with lots of freshness and 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.
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%
Syrah : 15%
Counoise : 10%
Vaccarèse, Terret Noir, Muscardin, Clairette, Picpoul, Picardan, Bourboulenc, Roussanne : 10%
Cinsault : 5%
Mourvèdre : 30%
Syrah : 15%
Counoise : 10%
Vaccarèse, Terret Noir, Muscardin, Clairette, Picpoul, Picardan, Bourboulenc, Roussanne : 10%
Cinsault : 5%
Advice
Serving
Around 15°C. If possible, decant the wine.
Tasting
Magnificent deep-red colour with purple undertones. Both subtle and of great aromatic richness, the nose reveals a very nice balance between the maturity and freshness of the fruit and superb notes of fresh fruit and spices. Very elegant, ample and silky on the palate, it opens up with a spicy attack with aromas of “garrigue” then reveals, as on the nose, a perfect balance between its beautiful tannic richness and its delicate roundness. The very long finish suggests great potential.
Reviews
"A deep, quite herbal expression, with liquorice and crushed blueberries to the cassis fruit. Full-bodied, powerfully fruited, dense and deep. Really mouthcoating, intense fruit. The tannins are ripe, fine and plentiful, all saturated in blackberry juice on a long finish. Certainly one of the more successful Châteauneufs this year. Will age well. A Mourvèdre-led expression of Beaucastel - it contains more than usual, at least 35% and probably more. Grenache and Cinsault fermented in cement, Syrah and Mourvèdre fermented in foudre."
"Toasty, meaty and inviting, this fresh red shows an understated, savory side, with notes of singed spices, mesquite, wet earth and fresh tobacco leaf flanking a silky range of plum and warm cherry compote flavors. This channels its terroir, with a round feel held in check by refined tannins, while the finish is lined with cool minerality and heavy iron. Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Counoise, Vaccarèse, Terret Blanc, Muscardin, Clairette, Picpoul de Pinet, Bourboulenc, Picardan and Roussanne. Drink now through 2030. 3,470 cases made."
"Malgré un millésime exigeant, voilà un vin qui ne se contente pas de remplir le verre: il s’invite, s’impose, puis règne. À la fois noble et indompté, il incarne ce que le Rhône Sud peut offrir de plus authentique. Derrière le Château de Beaucastel, il y a la Famille Perrin, artisan du vivant, héritiers discrets mais exigeants d’un savoir-faire rare. Et dans ce millésime 2021, la partition est jouée avec une précision d’orfèvre. Au nez, c’est une symphonie épicée: tapenade, poivre noir, cuir fin, violette, touche de garrigue — le tout enveloppé d’une fraîcheur presque mentholée. Loin des excès solaires, il respire l’équilibre. En bouche, c’est charnu, mais pas pesant. L’attaque est souple, puis le vin s’élargit, monte, s’installe. Les tanins sont serrés, jeunes, mais polis comme un galet roulé. La mûre, la cerise noire, une pointe de figue sèche s’invitent sans ostentation. Puis, viennent des notes de truffe, de graphite, presque fumées. La finale? Longue. Saline. Avec cette tension qui donne envie d’y revenir. Le 2021 de Beaucastel, c’est l’élégance dans la retenue, la force dans l’équilibre. Une leçon de style."
"Pierre Tramier purchased Château de Beaucastel in 1909 and replanted vineyards that were decimated by phylloxera just a few years earlier. Today, the Courthézon estate is run by the Perrin family, the fifth generation of Pierre’s descendants, who manage 320 acres of planted vines. Three-quarters of the vines are planted in the historic Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation, but the family also has vineyards in Vinsobres, Gigondas, Luberon, and Ventoux, among others. Their 2021 Châteauneuf-du-Pape has aromas of red plum, red raspberry, and crushed violet petals with soft, rounded tannins and flavors of cassis, raspberry, and black plum."
