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
An exceptional vintage.
A hot summer with great weather until the end of the harvest but a very small harvest.
A hot summer with great weather until the end of the harvest but a very small harvest.
Location
Châteauneuf du Pape, between Orange and Avignon.
Château de Beaucastel red is a 70-hectare vineyard.
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.
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%
Counoise : 10%
Syrah : 10%
Cinsault : 5%
Mourvèdre : 30%
Vaccarèse, Terret Noir, Muscardin, Clairette, Picpoul, Picardan, Bourboulenc, Roussanne : 15%
Counoise : 10%
Syrah : 10%
Cinsault : 5%
Advice
Serving
Serve at 15°C
Tasting
A beautiful colour.
A nose of lavender, leather, pepper, under-wood and musk.
The mouth is meaty with tones of red fruit and a wonderful balance.
A great wine. If you decide to open this bottle, you must decant it a couple of hours before serving and take care of any sediment there may be when pouring.
A nose of lavender, leather, pepper, under-wood and musk.
The mouth is meaty with tones of red fruit and a wonderful balance.
A great wine. If you decide to open this bottle, you must decant it a couple of hours before serving and take care of any sediment there may be when pouring.
Reviews
"One of the all-time great classics, the 1981 is fully mature and should be consumed. It’s a big, sweet, candied fruit bomb offering notes of smoke, pepper, dried herbs, truffles, leather, cedar, as well as black and red currants. Full-bodied and opulent, it is one of the most delicious, complex, and stunning Beaucastels ever made. Anyone who has magnums of this wine has the equivalent of liquid gold. Out of regular bottle, I would recommend consumption over the next several years. "
"A giant of a wine. Decant a few hours before serving if you want to drink it now. Deep in color, with super-ripe game, chocolate and tobacco aromas. Full-bodied, with a thick, massive fruit structure and tons of tannins. Has a gigantic finish.--Châteauneuf-du-Pape retrospective. Best from 1995 through 1998"
"The 1981 vintage is perfectly balanced, between sharpness and purity, it offers great freshness in the mouth. This wine is a great example of harmony, its fine tannic texture and young characters make it a great gastronomy wine.
Decant just before serving at 15°C."
Decant just before serving at 15°C."
