Chateau de Beaucastel red wine

Chateau de Beaucastel
France
Chateauneuf du Pape

The result of the effort and innovation of three generations of the Perrin family is clearly evident when one has the pleasure of tasting a good vintage of Chateau de Beaucastel at its peak. If one word can describe the red wines of Beaucastel it must be "pure": pure because they are the natural expression of the earth and the grapes from whence they came. In this case the vineyard is a patchwork of all 13 permitted grape varieties, 70 hectares in all. The soil is the same porous, aerated blanket of Alpine diluvium (rounded stones) on a base of Miocene marine limestone that exists elsewhere on the estate. The vines are on average 50 years old and yields are never more than 30 hectolitres per hectare and often much less. It is a vibrant and healthy vineyard due to years of organic cultivation and close monitoring of the needs of each vine.

The red wine of Beaucastel as with Coudoulet de Beaucastel is a structured, intense yet lean drink, thanks in part to the large percentage of Mourvedre - about 30% - in the final cuvée. Its austere tannic backbone and resistant to oxidation help Beaucastel age gracefully. Grenache (30%) contributes a warming sensation of ripe fruit and a velvety feeling in the mouth. Syrah at 10% and Muscardin and Vaccarese with around 5% each add colour, spicy aromatics and increase the wines ageing potential.

5% Cinsault is added for softness and its special bouquet. The remainder is made up of small quantities of the seven other varieties permitted in Chateauneuf du Pape. They are the grace notes that add the extra level of complexity which make Chateau de Beaucastel such an extraordinary wine. Once the flash heating method, as described on the first page of the brochure, has been accomplished, Beaucastel Rouge follows a more or less classic vinification. Most of the varieties are fermented separately until the malolactic is completed at which point they are "assembled" after exhaustive tastings.