Learn everything about Chateau Beaucastel, Chateauneuf du Pape, with wine tasting notes, wine, and food pairing tips, best vintages, a history of the property, information on the vineyards, and winemaking. If you want to read about other important wineries and winemakers from the Rhone valley: Links to all Rhone Valley Wine Producer Profiles
Beaucastel History, Overview
Beaucastel is perhaps the most famous Chateauneuf du Pape wine. It’s also one of the oldest estates in the appellation dating all the way back to 1549 when the family’s first stake in the region came into being. Pierre de Beaucastel purchased the original parcel of vineyard land for the family which was located in the Coudoulet appellation.
Jumping ahead to the 20th century, Beaucastel was acquired by Pierre Tramier in 1909 from Elie Dussaud. Dussaud who first purchased the land in 1870 was known for working alongside Ferdinand de Lesseps who helped build the Suez Canal.
This was the beginning of the modern age for Beaucastel in Chateauneuf du Pape as a wine producer. Following Tramier in managing the estates, affairs were his son-in-law, Pierre Perrin who was succeeded by Jacques Perrin.
Today, the fourth generation in the family continues the tradition as the four Perrin brothers continue to follow in the family tradition of managing Beaucastel headed by Marc Perrin, Thomas Perrin, Pierre Perrin, and Mathieu Perrin.
In 2007, Marc Perrin launched a joint venture in the Northern Rhone with Nicolas Jaboulet, which is headquartered in Hermitage. The wines are produced and sold under the name of Nicolas Perrin. Their two best wines are: Nicolas Perrin Hermitage, and Nicolas Perrin Cote Rotie
Beaucastel Vineyards, Wines, Winemaking
Beaucastel, like all great wine estates, is located on a unique terroir, situated in the far, northeast of Chateauneuf du Pape in Coudoulet. The terroir consists of sandstone that is covered by a massive array of multi-colored rocks, stone, and limestone soils.
The rocks reflect the sunlight and hold in the heat from the sun. The heat transfers to the vines at night. The terroir at Beaucastel also affords natural drainage. Another key component to Beaucastel and much of Chateauneuf du Pape is the wind known as the Mistral, which keeps the air clean and the terroir dry.
Beaucastel owns 130 hectares of land. Of those 130 hectares, only 100 hectares are planted to vines. 70 of those hectares are located in Chateauneuf du Pape in the Chapouin and Coudoulet lieux-dits. The other 30 hectares are situated in the Cotes du Rhone appellation of Coudoulet.
Beaucastel is known for having plantings of all 13 grape varietals allowed by AOC law. Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah, Cinsault, Vaccarese, Counoise, Terret Noir, Muscardin, Clairette, Picpoul, Picardan, Bourboulenc and Roussanne.
Interestingly, while Beaucastel is known for using all 13 grape varieties, for the red wine, they also include close to 5% of their white grape varieties in the final blend as well.
As you would expect, Grenache is much of the heart and soul of Chateauneuf du Pape. But t Beaucastel, Mourvedre also plays a very, significant role in their wines. A good portion of the Mourvedre came from cuttings taken from Domaine Tempier, in Bandol.
Beaucastel was one of the first growers in the appellation to add a sizable amount of Mourvedre to their vineyards. This is quite apparent in their wines today, as Mourvedre is a much more interesting grape, once the vines have gotten old.
The vineyard of Beaucastel is farmed using sustainable farming techniques. In fact, Beaucastel was one of the first estates in Chateauneuf du Pape to begin to farm their vineyards organically. This was quite risky when they started it in 1950. By 1974, they were also one of the first to farm using biodynamic farming techniques.
Beaucastel Winemaking
After sorting, the grapes are completely destemmed. Beaucastel macerates each of the grape varieties separately in enamel-coated vats. While the grapes that are whole bunch fermented, (meaning that the stems are still intact), take place in a combination of cement and steel vats.
Malolactic fermentation also takes place with the varieties separated. At the start of the winemaking process, Beaucastel quickly heats up the skins of the grapes until they reach a temperature of 80 degrees Celsius or 176 Fahrenheit. After a short time at that high heat, about 20 seconds, the fruit is cooled back down to 20 degrees Celsius for fermentation. This process is not to be confused with flash Pasteurization.
The purpose of allowing the grapes to receive the short-term exposure to high heat at Beaucastel is to remove select enzymes, and in the process, this retards oxidation, slowing fermentation, while allowing for more freshness and purity in the fruit. In turn, the process will decrease the time needed for the extraction process.
This patented technology is used more often than not with Grenache and most of the time, it is reserved for use in the more difficult years. The thought process is that a rapid extraction decreases the number of undesirable characteristics while retaining as much fruit and freshness as possible.
The idea behind the warming of the grapes came to Beaucastel because they noted, it was a practice in Burgundy to heat a portion of the must
After the initial fermentation has concluded, the wine is blended before being placed in large oak foudres for about a year of aging. The Syrah is aged in separate barrels, some of which are new, French oak and is blended in later. For the aging of the wine, and for storage of their bottled wines, during the 1980s, Beaucastel completed construction of the largest underground cellar in the Rhone Valley.
The best vintages of Chateau Beaucastel are: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2012, 2010, 2009, 2007, 2005, 2001, 2000, 1998, 1995, 1990, 1989 and 1981. Older vintages of Chateau Beaucastel are quite are difficult to find> But with the estate’s incredible track record for producing extremely age-worthy wines, they might be worth giving a try.
For their red wine, Chateau Beaucastel produces 4 wines; Beaucastel, Coudoulet de Beaucastel and Les Sinards along with the rare, expensive and sublime, Hommage a Jacques Perrin.
Chateau Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape is usually a blend of 30% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah, 10% Counoise, 5% Cinsault, and 5% and other assorted varieties that could include up to 13 different grape types in all. One of the most famous Chateauneuf du Pape wines in the world, the average production is close to 8,000 cases per year.
Beaucastel Hommage Jacques Perrin is a different wine than Beaucastel in taste, feel, blend and price. The wine is produced by using a much larger percentage of old vine Mourvedre, which can be up to 60% of the blend, depending on the vintage.
While the blend varies from year to year, yet is often close to 60% Mourvedre, 20% old vine Grenache, 10% Counoise, and 10% Syrah. The grapes are destemmed and the wine is aged in an average of 12 to 18 months in used, French oak barrels. The grapes are vinified separately as is the press wine.
Out of the entire Chateauneuf du Pape appellation, this wine can probably be aged the longest. In fact, it does not begin to show well without several years, if not decades of bottle age.
The wine is only produced in the best years. The debut vintage for Hommage a Jacques Perrin was 1989. The production is quite small as on average, close to 350 cases are produced each vintage.
The white wine of Beaucastel
Beaucastel produces three Chateauneuf du Pape white wines, Beaucastel Blanc, Beaucastel Blanc Vieille Vignes and Les Sinards. They also make a white Coudoulet de Beaucastel. Part of what makes the white wine of Beaucastel so unique is their blend, which always incorporates such a massive amount of Roussanne when compared with other producers in the region.
Beaucastel Blanc is usually produced from a blend of 80% Roussanne and 5% Grenache Blanc with the remaining 5% coming from an assemblage of Clairette, Bourboulenc, and Picardan. The vines are old. A good portion of the fruit was planted in 1950.
To produce the white of Beaucastel, vinification takes place in stainless steel tanks. Following malolactic fermentation for most of the production, the wine is aged in a combination of 50% French, oak barrels that are one of age while the rest of the wine is aged in stainless steel tanks.
Beaucastel Blanc Tradition has a production of close to 1,800 cases per year.
Beaucastel Blanc Vieille Vignes is produced from 100% Roussanne that comes from some of the oldest Roussanne vines in the Southern Rhone, with vines that are close to 80 years of age on average. They also have vines that are more than 100 years of age as they were planted in 1909.
Beaucastel Vieille Vignes made its debut with the 1986 vintage. Beaucastel Vieille Vignes is aged in a combination of stainless steel tank and new and used French oak barrels. Very little Beaucastel Blanc Vieille Vignes is produced. On average, the production is close to 500 cases of wine per year.
Beaucastel Vieille Vignes is an extremely long-lived wine that often tastes much better at 20 – 30 years of age than it does in its fruit-forward, exuberant youth.
When to Drink Chateau Beaucastel, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time
Chateau Beaucastel is a much better wine with age. Young vintages can be decanted for 2-3 hours, give or take. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment.
Chateau Beaucastel is better with 6-10 years of bottle age. Of course, that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage. In the best vintages, the wine should be consumed within 10-35 years after the vintage.
Serving Beaucastel with Wine, Food, Pairing Tips
Beaucastel is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift.
Beaucastel Rouge is best served with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, stewed, grilled dishes, sausage, tomatoes, and cassoulet. Beaucastel Rouge is also good with Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, and pasta.
The white wine of Beaucastel is best served with a myriad of different seafood dishes, shellfish, crab, lobster, sushi, sashimi, chicken, pork, and veal, as well as Asian cuisine and cheese.
Other wines from the Perrin family.
The Perrin family also maintains a partnership in California with Robert Haas called Tablas Creek. Formed in 1989, the California winery focuses on producing Rhone-style wine with both red and white Rhone varietals.
In 2013, the Perrin family entered into a partnership with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie to produce Miraval, an organic Rose’ wine from their Provencal estate. Miraval also produces 2 white wines, a blend of Grenache Blanc and Rolle, as well as a wine from 100% Rolle. Needless to say, Miraval is now the world’s most popular Rose and wine from the Cotes de Provence.
In 2015, Miraval became the first rose’ as well as the first wine in the entire Provence appellation to add anti-counterfeiting measures to their bottle. To prevent the type of forgeries that anything to do with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie attracts, Miraval comes in a unique curve-shaped bottle. The bottle is also etched with the word Miraval at the bottom of the bottle.
Starting with the 2009 vintage, Beaucastel became one of the first wines outside of Bordeaux to be sold on the Place de Bordeaux by Bordeaux negociants. The Perrin family also produces one of the best red and white wines from their 30 hectares of vines in the Cotes du Rhone.
Château de Beaucastel Wine Tasting Notes
77 Vintages 1,015,910 Views Sort by Vintage-Rating
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2021
Château de Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Dark in color, in fact, this is the darkest wine of the vintage, the aromatic profile shows its complex array of nuances easily. Mint, licorice, grilled meat, black fruits, flowers, peppery spice and hints of blue fruits create the perfume. Opulent, deep, fresh, long and vibrant, the wine is deep, concentration, richness and sweetness. There is vibrancy, lift, and length, finishing with layers of black, red and blue, peppery fruits. The wine blends 60% Mourvedre, 20% Grenache and 20% Syrah. Picking on the Mouvedre began October 4, finishing October 12. Like all the great vintages of Hommage, this is a wine for patient collectors as you need to give it at least 10 years of aging, and 20 would be even better! Drink from 2030-2060. 650 Views Tasted Jan 30, 2024 |
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2021
Château de Beaucastel (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Meaty, spicy, flowers, thyme, and peppery, dark red berries pop in the nose. On the palate, the wine really shines, due to its larger than usual percentage of Mourvedre in the blend. Concentrated, rich, lush, deep and intense, you find a minty, peppery edging to the red berries on the mid-palate and in the long, salty finish. The wine blends 35% Mourvedre, 30% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 10% Counoise, and various other AOC allowable red wine grape varietals along with 10% white wine grape varietals. Drink from 2024-2040. 1,231 Views Tasted Jan 30, 2024 |
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2020
Château de Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Flowers, wet earth, blue fruit, licorice and dark red fruits are all over the place on the nose and palate. The wine is intense, powerful and concentrated, yet light on its feet. There is grace, elegance, and balance, with a chewy, meaty, peppery, chalky edge in the finish that holds your attention for at least 60 seconds. The wine blends 75% Mourvedre and equal amounts of Grenache and Syrah. The blend of the 2020 represents the highest percentage of Mouvedre ever used in Hommage, going all the way back to 1989. Picking on the Mouvedre began October 15, which is also the latest picking date for the Mourvedre. Like all the great vintage of Hommage, this is a wine for patient collectors as you need to give it at least 10 years of aging, and 20 would be even better! Drink from 2030-2060. 2,387 Views Tasted Jan 27, 2023 |
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2020
Château de Beaucastel (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Medium-bodied, fresh, meaty and spicy with a strong sense of pepper and garrigue, fresh, soft and vibrant, the wine will drink well fairly early for Beaucastel due to its freshness, balance and ripe, soft tannins. The wine blends 30% Mourvedre, 20% Grenache with the remainder blend coming from all the other assorted red and white grape varieties. Drink from 2024-2040. 4,188 Views Tasted Jan 27, 2023 |
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2020
Château de Beaucastel Blanc Cuvée Roussanne Vieilles Vignes (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Flowers, crushed rocks, peaches, tangerines, honeysuckle and spice create the attention grabbing perfume. It is the concentration that comes from the old vines paired with the creamy acidity and freshness that make this such a unique experience. The palate is oily, fruity, spicy and vibrant with a lemon, peach and mandarin orange, chalky finish that steals the show. This should age extremely well. Drink from 2026-2039. 2,202 Views Tasted Jan 27, 2023 |
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2020
Château de Beaucastel Blanc (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Spring flowers, orange peel, yellow citrus, white peach and spice define the nose. On the palate, the wine is lush, creamy and also interestingly, loaded with fresh, bright, crisp citrus with a touch of peach in the finish. Drink from 2022 - 2032. 1,500 Views Tasted Jan 27, 2023Richly textured, with nuances of sweet pineapple. lemons, flowers, and orange rind with buttered nut accents that come through with no trouble on the nose and palate. Already accessible, you can enjoy this on release. Drink from 2022 - 2034 3,976 Views Tasted Jan 16, 2022 |
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2020
Château de Beaucastel Coudoulet de Beaucastel (Côtes du Rhône)
Earthy, tobacco leaves, underbrush, olives, spice, and red fruits come through on the nose. On the palate, the medium-bodied wine is fresh, and soft, displaying a slightly rustic elegance, olive-stained, red fruit palate. Clearly, this is one of the best wines for the money you can buy from the Cotes du Rhone, if not in the entire Southern Rhone Valley. The wine is a blend of 30% Grenache, 30% Syrah, and 30% Mourvedre along with10% Cinsault. Drink from 2022-2032. 4,027 Views Tasted Sep 26, 2022 |
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2020
Château de Beaucastel Coudoulet de Beaucastel Blanc (Côtes du Rhône)
Crisp lemons and flowers show easily on the nose, along with its sweet, white peach notes. Fresh and lively with a yellow citrus-filled finish, this is already easy to enjoy Drink from 2022-2027. 2,167 Views Tasted Sep 26, 2022Crisp, fresh lemon peel, and floral notes create the nose. On the palate, the wine is vibrant, bright, and crunchy with a yellow citrus finish. 2,560 Views Tasted Nov 19, 2021 |
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2019
Château de Beaucastel Blanc Cuvée Roussanne Vieilles Vignes (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
This is one of those thrill a sip wines that stuns you the moment the wine hits your glass. The complex nose with its array of white and yellow flowers, yellow tropical fruits, white peach, melon and crushed rocks is all you need to know until you get to the palate. There you find a massive wave of impossibly ripe, very ripe, and bordering on overripe fruits with freshness, energy, oily textures and a seamless, opulent finish that comes close to the 60 second mark. This could be the best white Chateauneuf du Pape I have ever tasted! Either open a bottle over the next year or two, or age it for 10-15-20 years, this is going to be one of those legendary wines that becomes hard to find as it matures. Drink from 2030 - 2045 5,566 Views Tasted Jan 9, 2022 |
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2019
Château de Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Incredibly concentrated, almost dense, yet, even with all the weight, heft and power, everything here is perfectly balanced, which lets you focus on all the meaty, dark, red fruits, peppery spice, grilled beef, flowers, smoked cherries and plums. This palate staining gem delivers a solid 60 second finish that build and expands. This is not a wine for consumers without patience as you should wait at least 12-15 years before thinking about pulling a cork. But based on tasting numerous previous vintages, this is going to be worth the wait. Drink from 2030 - 2050 6,124 Views Tasted Jan 9, 2022 |
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2019
Château de Beaucastel (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Spicy, meaty, earthy, rich and lushly textured, the wine has depth of flavor, complexity and lift. The wine balanced, concentrated and the fruit shows ripeness with lift that works. The spicy essence to the red fruits is on the nose and in the deep, dark, spicy red fruits on the palate and finish. Drink from 2025 - 2039 6,243 Views Tasted Jan 9, 2022 |
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2019
Château de Beaucastel Blanc (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Honeysuckle, white flowers, honeydew melon, citrus rind and white peach notes are all over the place on the nose and palate. Rich, lush oily and flamboyant, this is already sublime to taste with all its freshness and flesh. The wine was made from a blend of 85% Roussanne and 15% Grenache Blanc. Drink from 2022 - 2033 2,650 Views Tasted Jan 9, 2022 |
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2019
Château de Beaucastel Coudoulet de Beaucastel (Côtes du Rhône)
Garrigue, pepper, cherries, and thyme are all over the place here. On the palate, the wine is fresh, medium-bodied, vibrant, and juicy with a kick of peppery kirsch in the finish. GIve it 2 years or so to soften and fully come together. 3,973 Views Tasted Nov 19, 2021 |
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2018
Château de Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
The wine of the vintage. Compelling in every sense of the word, the wine is incredibly dark in color. The aromatics kick off with an amazing display of spices, herbs, wet earth, leaf, pepper, grilled meat, black raspberry, kirsch and plum notes. The weight, density and intensity on the palate coats your taste receptors, yet retains its lush, silky texture. The seamless finish leaves the 60 second mark in its wake. This should age for decades. 7,759 Views Tasted Dec 22, 2020 |
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2018
Château de Beaucastel Blanc Cuvée Roussanne Vieilles Vignes (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
White peach, honeysuckle, pear, spice and crushed stones. The wine is full-bodied, lush, sweet and fresh with a parade of white fruits and peach in the finish. The wine is always made from a 3 hectare of 100% old vine Roussanne planted in 1909. 2,993 Views Tasted Oct 12, 2020 |
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2018
Château de Beaucastel (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
You can taste and feel the intensity from the low yields here. At its core you find layers of earth, garrigue and peppery kirsch, black raspberry, cherry and spicy red plums. Richly textured with soft, silky tannins and a finish that resonates with spice box, kirsch, dark red berries and olives, this is going to offer great drinking early, yet should last for at least 2 decades. 6,657 Views Tasted Dec 22, 2020 |
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2018
Château de Beaucastel Blanc (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
White peach, orange rind, flowers and honey pop on the nose. From there, on the palate you find fresh, bright, juicy apricots, peach, and sweet Mandarin oranges. The wine has flesh and freshness. Yields were quite low, so this is going to be quite difficult to find. The wine was made from a blend of 85% Roussanne and 15% Grenache Blanc. 3,496 Views Tasted Oct 12, 2020 |
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2017
Château de Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Almost opaque in color, the wine is equally dark in its fruit. The wine is not as powerful as expected. Instead you find more aromatics, elegance and precision. Lush, soft and juicy, the dark red fruits olives, spice and raw meat leave an impression that sticks with you. Long, intense and expansive, the feels great as it graces you palate, before leaving you with dark red fruits, olives, peppery spice and barbecue notes. The wine was made from a blend of 85% Mourvedre, 5% Syrah, 5% Grenache and 5% Counoise. As the vines continue aging, there will probably more Mourvedre in the blend in future vintages Even though there is a softness to the tannins, this is not a wine to drink young You will need to lay this down for perhaps 15 years or so, before all the secondary nuances kick in. This is quite close to the level of the mind-blowing, perfect 2016. In the future, this is going to be great to compare them both, similar to the 89 & 90 duo! 6,954 Views Tasted Sep 21, 2019 |
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2017
Château de Beaucastel (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Spicy, meaty, earthy, rich and lushly textured, the wine has depth of flavor, complexity and lift. The wine balanced, concentrated and the fruit shows ripeness with lift that works. The spicy essence to the red fruits is on the nose and in the deep, dark, spicy red fruits on the palate and finish. The wine is a blend of 40% Mourvedre, 20% Grenache and 20% Syrah, with the remainder of the blend coming from all the other red and white wine grape varieties. 5,393 Views Tasted Sep 21, 2019 |
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2017
Château de Beaucastel Blanc Cuvée Roussanne Vieilles Vignes (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Citrus, rocks, stones, peach and floral notes create the perfume. The wine is dense, rich and yet, elegant. There is freshness and a beautiful purity of fruit, with a spicy, fruity, slightly honeyed, long finish. This should age extremely well. 3,957 Views Tasted Sep 21, 2019 |
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2017
Château de Beaucastel Blanc (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
White peach, honeysuckle, pears and orange rind pop with no effort. On the palate, the wine is ripe, round and fat. Not as fresh as the 2016, and a bit sweeter, this is going to drink well young, as be able to age for decades. The wine was made from a blend of 85% Roussanne and 15% Grenache Blanc. 2,095 Views Tasted Sep 21, 2019 |
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2016
Château de Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
It is hard to find a better Chateauneuf from this legendary vintage, and that is saying a lot. This is mind-blowing in every sense of the word. Powerful, intense, long, seamless and complex, the wine coats your palate with countless layers of perfectly ripe, opulent, spicy, rich, luscious fruits. The finish crosses the 60-second mark without skipping a beat. This is still quite primal. But even at this youthful stage, it is impossible not to be mesmerized by what's in your glass. If I had to guess, it might take another 20-25 years of age before it's fully mature and it could provide incredible pleasure for another 2 decades after that. This is greatness in wine. 6,748 Views Tasted Oct 14, 2021Extremely dark ruby in color, the wine is incredibly refined. It offers a combination of power, richness, depth, intensity and freshness. The wine is palate staining, mouth filling, spicy and fresh. There are no hard edges here. As the wine rests in the glass, you find animalistic scents paired with black and blue fruits, 5 spice, flowers and a cornucopia of herbs in the nose. There is a richness that is impossible to ignore, but the lift and vibrancy in the fruit keep everything going. The finish hangs in there for more than 60 seconds. This is the best vintage of Hommage Perrin ever produced and that is really saying something! If you have the money, and can find a few bottles, this is a future legend that will be talked about for decades! The wine was made from a blend of 85% Mourvedre, 5% Syrah, 5% Grenache and 5% Counoise. As the vines continue aging, there will probably more Mourvedre in the blend in future vintages. 11,222 Views Tasted Sep 6, 2018 |
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2016
Château de Beaucastel Blanc Cuvée Roussanne Vieilles Vignes (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Dense, opulent, sensuous, richly textured and layers with ripe, sweet, fresh tropical fruits, lemon zest, white peach, flowers and minerality. The wine has a lot of heft, but with all the acidity, it is also light on its feet. This should age for decades if you can find any. Only 500 cases, give or take. 5,522 Views Tasted Sep 19, 2018 |
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2016
Château de Beaucastel (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
It is easy to get lost in the aromatic complexities here with all the pepper, leaf, wet earth, spice, old wood, dark cherry and plum notes. On the palate, the wine is polished, deep, fresh, concentrated and sweet, Here, there is a purity and symmetry to the wine, along with a clean palate of fruits this year, that makes this a treat to taste, even at this young stage. Marc Perrin thinks this is the best wine produced here since the back to back duo of 1989 and 1990. I am sure this is better than both those previous vintages. It is a stunning wine that deserves your attention to find a bottle and taste it. This should have the ability to age for decades. 17,005 Views Tasted Sep 6, 2018 |
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2016
Château de Beaucastel Coudoulet de Beaucastel (Côtes du Rhône)
I am quite sure this is the best Coudoulet de Beaucastel ever produced. It will give many, more expensive Chateauneuf du Pape's a run for the money with its layers of earthy, spicy, kirsch, garrigue and thyme, silky, inviting textures and blast of wild cherry in the finish. 7,277 Views Tasted Sep 19, 2018 |
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2016
Château de Beaucastel Blanc (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Rich, lush, round and on the tropical side, but with enough acidity to give it freshness and lift. 3,536 Views Tasted Sep 19, 2018 |
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2015
Château de Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
The dark red berries are well complimented with back note of blue fruit. Just a hint of oak, because the 2015 was aged in a second year foudre, from there you find pepper, herbs, earth and a hint of barnyard. On the palate is where this rocket ship really takes off. Thick, rich and opulent, the wine coats your mouth with layer after layer of fruit that shows a beautiful sense of purity. Power and elegance is the name of game here. This will age for decades. The wine was made from a blend of 70% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah, 10% Grenache and 10% Counoise. 7,210 Views Tasted Aug 21, 2017 |
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2015
Château de Beaucastel Blanc Cuvée Roussanne Vieilles Vignes (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
The nose blasts off with white peach, honeydew, flowers, licorice, crushed rocks and fresh herbs. Concentrated, deep, long and with real sticking power, this is going to be worth the wait, as it will take time to develop. 3,711 Views Tasted Dec 12, 2017 |
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2015
Château de Beaucastel (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
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. 12,277 Views Tasted Aug 21, 2017 |
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2014
Château de Beaucastel Blanc Cuvée Roussanne Vieilles Vignes (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
A bit more mute than the last time I tasted it. It took some effort to bring out the ripe, tropical and citrus fruits with their exotic, slightly honeyed profile. With weight, and freshness, this is a treat. It's still quite primary at the moment, so time is needed here as I suspect there is more under the hood here. 3,434 Views Tasted Jun 10, 2017From low yields of only12 hectoliters per hectare, the wine blasts off with honeyed citrus, orange, marzipan, crushed rock and herbs. The wine is fat, rich, lush and opulent, yet there is ample acidity keeping it fresh and lively on the palate. The finish really lingers and expands on the palate. 2,741 Views Tasted Jun 23, 2016 |
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2014
Château de Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
With a nose of truffle, blueberry, charcoal, smoke and spicy black plums, the wine is powerful, lush, silky and concentrated. The crushed rock and stone quality really comes through. There is good freshness, purity of fruit and length in the finish. This is a definite contender for wine of the vintage. The wine was made from a blend of 70% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah, 10% Grenache and 10% Counoise. 2,657 Views Tasted Jun 23, 2016 |
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2014
Château de Beaucastel (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Wild, peppery berries, complicated by the earthy, animalistic aromatics kick things off in the right direction. The palate enjoys a blast of juicy, fresh, spicy, peppery, earthy fruits. This is quite concentrated for the vintage, finishing with the olive tapanade, dark, red fruits and black pepper. Give this at least a few hours for everything to come together and for more complexity as well. 4,509 Views Tasted Jun 23, 2016 |
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2014
Château de Beaucastel Blanc (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Honeysuckle, lemon, hazelnut, white peach and floral notes pop from the glass. Concentrated, luscious and fresh, there is a good purity of fruit and ample acidity in the finish to keep this fresh and lively. 1,983 Views Tasted Jun 23, 2016 |
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2013
Château de Beaucastel Blanc Cuvée Roussanne Vieilles Vignes (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Kicking off with an orange, floral, citrus and spicy peach nose, the wine is balanced between its sweetness and fleshy, fresh side, leaving you with slightly honeyed yellow fruits in the finish. 2,555 Views Tasted Apr 5, 2022Intense, yet with a finesse to its power, this was really strong on the nose, with its vanilla, citrus, honeysuckle, stone and orange peel. Lush and luscious, a difficult combination to harness, this was a beauty. 4,153 Views Tasted Jun 10, 2017 |
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2013
Château de Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Showing an earthy, wet forest, truffle and black cherry nose, the wine is rich, fresh, pure and spicy. There is volume, concentration, complexity and energy. Give it time and this should be even better. The wine was made from a blend of 70% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah, 10% Grenache and 10% Counoise. 3,938 Views Tasted Sep 14, 2016 |
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2013
Château de Beaucastel (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Fresh, lively, and elegant, there are more than enough sweet and tart red cherries and plums with the added complexity of earth, herbs and animistic character to make it sing. 5,147 Views Tasted Sep 14, 2016 |
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2012
Château de Beaucastel Blanc Cuvée Roussanne Vieilles Vignes (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Young, but this is so good, it's easy to forget it's still a baby. The floral, honeydew, orangesicle, white peach and citrus notes take right off. Rich, unctuous and oily in texture, the wine combines fat, with fresh, so you have the best of both worlds. 3,366 Views Tasted Dec 12, 2017 |
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2012
Château de Beaucastel (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Earthy with dark red berries, luscious textures and dense, ripe, fresh fruits. There is a blast of cocoa with juicy, spicy black and red round fruits on the back end. This has length, character and the ability to age. 11,335 Views Tasted Aug 6, 2014 |
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2012
Château de Beaucastel Blanc (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Concentrated, mouth filling, sweet, fresh and nutty, packed with rich, juicy fruits, ripe melons and citrus with a stony, sweet character in the finish. 2,525 Views Tasted Aug 6, 2014 |
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2011
Château de Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
The most precocious vintage of Hommage Jacques Perrin I have ever tasted. Medium-bodied, elegant, floral, meaty, spicy, and peppery, with a wealth of dark, red, and black peppery, spicy, ripe fruits, and barbecue smoke on the palate. The luscious finish seals the deal. Drink from 2022-2035. 3,268 Views Tasted Jul 31, 2022 |
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2011
Château de Beaucastel (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Medium bodied, in lighter, early drinking style that focuses on fresh, sweet red fruits and spice, with a sweet, spicy, slightly dusty, garrigue and kirsch finish. There are some tannins remaining to resolve. This could definitely improve with a few years of bottle age. 5,547 Views Tasted Aug 6, 2014 |
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2010
Château de Beaucastel Blanc Cuvée Roussanne Vieilles Vignes (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Rich, intense, oily, lush, round and packed with perfectly ripe, yellow citrus and honeysuckle, you also find a nice mineralist touch to the fruit-packed finish. 3,110 Views Tasted Apr 5, 2022Intensity of flavor, with a wealth of raw materials combine to produce an oily textured, concentrated, lush wine, with layers of honeydew melon, fresh peach, apples, vanilla and just a hint of tropical fruit on the nose and palate. The texture is stunning and finish sticks with you, as the fruits build in intensity. 3,023 Views Tasted Dec 12, 2017Served blind, we were all blown away. I guess 100 year old Roussanne vines will do that to you. The white peach, flower, stone, honeysuckle and citrus, with some vanilla tossed in for good measure were singing their aromatic song. Fat, rich, but not oily or overblown, this was in balance and harmony in every sense of the meaning. 3,703 Views Tasted Jun 10, 2017 |
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2010
Château de Beaucastel (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Full, rich, meaty, spicy, earthy, peppery red fruits with herbs are all over the place here in the nose and on the palate. Splash decanted, the wine easily shows off its layers of ripe, peppery, dark red fruits with the touch of a bouquet garni. This is drinking quite well now and I expect it to improve over the next few years. 9,082 Views Tasted Jan 15, 2022Strong notes of peppery, spicy, leafy green herbs, kirsch and lavender permeate the nose. Full-bodied, voluptuous and fresh, the wine feels great on the palate, finishing with luscious, ripe, spicy red fruits. This is showing beautifully today and should remain at this high level for at least another decade or longer. 9,987 Views Tasted Feb 9, 2020Polished, plush and plummy, the wine is fresh, sweet, concentrated and rich, with spicy, character, the backbone to age and a fresh, dark cherry, black raspberry and spicy charm. This will age quite well, yet, because the fruit and tannins are so ripe, it can be enjoyed young. 14,858 Views Tasted Aug 6, 2017With equal amounts of 30% Grenache and 30% Mourvedre along with different amounts of the other 11 allowed grape varietals, this is stuffed with luscious dark red berries, black pepper, fresh herbs, kirsch and earth. Deep, powerful and structured to age, it's informative to taste young, but 8-10 years in the cellar are going to really make this beautiful, but young expression of Beaucastel come alive. 13,583 Views Tasted Jan 21, 2014 |
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2009
Château de Beaucastel (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Lush, round, ripe, opulent fruits, with a peppery edge, that only adds to the earthy, animalistic, garrigue and spice filled nose. The dark red fruits are ripe, plush and juicy. This is great today, right out of the bottle. And time will only make it even better! 9,035 Views Tasted Nov 25, 2017With an earthy, barnyard, garrigue and fresh fruit bouquet on the nose, in the mouth, the wine is ripe, silky and fresh, with good acidity and warm, plush fruit sensations from start to finish. 8,234 Views Tasted Aug 6, 2014The great thing about 2009 Chateauneuf du Pape is, most of the wines are drinkable on release and Beaucastel is no exception. The nose is compelling with its kirsch, herbs, underbrush and jammy plum notes. Lacking the same level of depth and concentration found in the top vintages, the texture is lush, plush and round, leaving you with lingering kirsch flavors. With time, this could be even better as it ages and develops. 10,302 Views Tasted Dec 10, 2013 |
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2009
Château de Beaucastel Blanc (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Rich, oily, exotic and overflowing with ripe, tropical fruits, flowers, honey, tangerine and white peach. Concentrated and lushly textured, this is already delicious. 2,903 Views Tasted May 17, 2017 |
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2008
Château de Beaucastel (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Medium bodied and light in style, this is a Beaucastel to enjoy in its charming youth for the freshness and spicy, bright red fruits. 4,853 Views Tasted Aug 6, 2014 |
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2007
Château de Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Wow, this is insane from start to finish! The nose blasts you in the face with its ripe black raspberry, black cherry, smoke, herb, spice and black pepper personality. Thick, dense and intense, everything is in the right place keeping the wine in balance. Tannic, structured and meaty, the finish paints the fruit all over the place. This is far too young, but I am happy a friend brought this stunner over during the holidays. This is old vine Mourvedre at its best. 6,559 Views Tasted Dec 26, 2013 |
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2007
Château de Beaucastel (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Already great in your glass, due to its ripe, sexy style. Round, supple, even opulent, this wine makes no pretense to offering pleasure in every sip and sniff. Jammy fruits galore, with a big dose of barnyard, pepper and kirsch, this is ready to go. I suspect it will not make multi-decade old bones, but things like that can always surprise you. 11,291 Views Tasted May 17, 2017Sensuous, spicy and deep, there is a good freshness to the licorice and peppery red fruits that expand on the mouth. Sweet and savory, long and rich. Drink it if you like 'em young and on the lush side. Age it if you can wait and prefer more secondary notes. 13,765 Views Tasted Aug 6, 2014With just 20 minutes in the decanter, the nose sprung from the glass with its aromas of kirsch liqueur, fresh market herbs, earth, plum jam and fennel. Supple in texture, with a long, rich, lush, ripe, red and black fruit filled, peppery finish, this was the perfect wine to get an early jump on our pre International Grenache day celebration. 18,326 Views Tasted Sep 21, 2012The nose pops with kirsch, garrigue, kirsch, pepper, black plums, blackberry and truffle. Thick, round, concentrated and potent, this delightful, complex wine ends with suave textures and a lusty, spicy kirsch finish. This reminds me of what 90 Beaucastel tasted like in its youth 26,800 Views Tasted Feb 21, 2011 |
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2007
Château de Beaucastel Coudoulet de Beaucastel (Côtes du Rhône)
Winner, winner, chicken dinner. This wine is a steal for the money. It showed great in a blind tasting beating numerous, more expensive wines. Rich sexy textures, layers of ripe, sweet, red and black fruit, cherries galore, griotte and herbal aromas were made even better with the long, fleshy finish. Not only is this a steal for the price, but it's drinking great today and it should be even better with a few more years of bottle age. 6,843 Views Tasted Aug 27, 2012 |
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2006
Château de Beaucastel (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Starting to open and show nicely with a nose packed with spicy black raspberry, kirsch, jammy cherries, pepper, earth and garrigue. Rich textures and a long, soft, sweet, earthy, fresh, peppy, kirsch filled sensation make up the finish. 11,632 Views Tasted Jan 14, 2013 |
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2005
Château de Beaucastel (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Beautiful, stylish, peppery, cherry, kirsch, raspberry, earth and spice filled perfume, good concentration of flavor with a bright, fresh, red berry and peppery finish. Give it a few more years to come around. 15,183 Views Tasted Dec 25, 2011 |
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2004
Château de Beaucastel (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Time has been kind to this wine, as it has really come on strong with bottle age. Crisp, classic and fresh, with a kirsch, spice and herbed, tannic profile. Classic, with loads of bright, clean red fruits, age it a few more years for additional nuance, or pop a cork if you prefer more of a classic, bite. 6,080 Views Tasted May 17, 2017Spicy red cherries, strawberry, pepper, black raspberry and gamey notes along with fresh Provencal herb aromatics open to a medium to full bodied, bright, fresh Chateauneuf du Pape that is dominated by spicy, red berries. This is still young, with luck, time could add more richness to the wine. 8,000 Views Tasted Oct 21, 2012 |
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2004
Château de Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Forward for Hommage Perrin, a wine that usually shows best with 20 years of age. Medium/full bodied, with a gorgeous nose of garrigue, barnyard and sweet kirsch, the tannins were ripe, soft and felt great. This will definitely improve, but if you're thinking you need to wait, pop a cork and enjoy the ride. 4,752 Views Tasted Aug 7, 2017 |
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2003
Château de Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Almost overripe, the wine is rich, full bodied and ready to go. But it lacks some definition and complexity found in the top years. 4,619 Views Tasted Jul 17, 2019Deep in color, with a meaty, spicy, black cherry, boysenberry, earth, fennel and peppery nose, the wine lacks the incredible depth and richness that is normally found in its character. Perhaps, this is due to higher concentration of Grenache in the blend. In the finish, it offers a good feel of concentrated, ripe, jammy, red and black fruits. Still young, tannic and built to age, the wine needs more time to come together. 5,197 Views Tasted Aug 29, 2012 |
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2001
Château de Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
A true gem in the world of Grenache, the wine is simply great! Concentrated, lush, powerful, spicy, and vibrant, with layer after layer of peppery, red fruits that seem to never end. Drink from 2023-2045. 3,256 Views Tasted Feb 14, 2023Just a super wine. Decanted about an hour, this is powerful, spicy, peppery, tannic, rich and mouth-filling. The wine is long, structured and complex, with dark, deep fruits, black pepper and garrigue. Another 5 years in the bottle and this should start showing its essence at its best. 5,256 Views Tasted Feb 18, 2019Stunning in every sense of the word, this beauty is almost off the charts! The herbs, thyme, smoke, forest smells, spice and ripe, peppery black and red fruits that create the nose, can keep you busy for ages. But it is the intensity, length, purity of fruit, freshness and density that keep you coming back for more. I am sure this can age for decades. 5,560 Views Tasted Dec 15, 2017Smoked truffles is the best way to think about this wine. Still quite youthful, the wine is intense, concentrated, powerful, long, tannic and expansive. The wine takes up your entire palate, coats your teeth and gums with flavor and extract. Yet, with everything that is going on, this is elegant, refined and extremely complex. 5,772 Views Tasted Sep 14, 2016The second bottle from a case and clearly, I could have waited another 5 or more years. With 2-3 hours of air, the meaty, kirsch, garrigue, spice, pepper and wild cherry aromas began emerging. Full bodied, concentrated, long, deep and fresh, the wine creates an impression. 4,046 Views Tasted Jul 30, 2015Massive, concentrated, deep layers of perfectly ripe, dense black fruit are all over the place. This huge, structured wine is intense. The mouth feel is similar to motor oil, but with acidity. This could take 20 years to come around. 5,631 Views Tasted Nov 14, 2004 |
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2001
Château de Beaucastel (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
At 16, this is really drinking well. Popped and poured, the wine is soft textured with a wild elegance to its sweet kirsch, garrigue, spice and peppery character. The texture continues gaining a silky feeling and the ripe, sweet, fresh, kirsch fruits linger in the finish. If you have been sitting on your bottles waiting for the moment, this is a good time to pop a cork. 9,261 Views Tasted Feb 22, 2016Deep aromas of black cherry liqueur, lavender, barbecue spice and kirsch and flint let you know you're in for a treat. Full bodied, rich, powerful, long and concentrated, the sweet, fresh, long and pure cherry finish gets better and better as the night goes on. This will be better in a few years. But it is so good now, there is no reason to wait. Decanted about 30 minutes before tasting. 10,923 Views Tasted Mar 2, 2014Lush, juicy, silky and round, loads of fresh black cherry, pepper, earth, spice and tapenade create the perfume. The wine is rich, long and drinking well. 11,295 Views Tasted Jul 21, 2013 |
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2001
Château de Beaucastel Blanc Cuvée Roussanne Vieilles Vignes (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Extremely concentrated, ripe fruits, honey, spice and floral tones. Amazingly dense wine. Almost over the top with stunningly ripe exotic character. 3,349 Views Tasted Jul 12, 2007This wine is so rich, it could be confused with motor oil! The perfume offered honeydew, figs and flowers. But it was almost too much of everything. I’m looking forward to cellaring it and tasting it again at maturity. 3,419 Views Tasted Aug 17, 2003 |
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2000
Château de Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Meaty, beefy, big and bouncy. Volume, depth and a wealth of unique character knock you out. Animalistic, but with good breeding, ripe, plush fruits, polished tannins and a very long finish. It's good now and it's going to be even better with a few more years of bottle age. 4,543 Views Tasted Jan 2, 2014 |
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2000
Château de Beaucastel (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
This has really developed into a gem. The pepper and garrigue is strong in this one Luke. Plus, there is loads of sweet, fresh, supple textured, juicy, ripe, red fruits and silky tannins, along with freshness and an elegant finish. 6,748 Views Tasted May 17, 2017Probably close to fully mature with its kirsch, earth, pepper and strawberry filled personality. Soft and refined, this is an elegant style of Beaucastel that is drinking at peak today. 7,528 Views Tasted Jan 21, 2014Now we're talking. Sensuous, round, fleshy and fresh, the layers of sweet, ripe, cherries, strawberry jam, earth and Provencal herbs caught my attention. Plush in texture, the wine ended with spicy, red cherry liqueur. This is drinking about as good as it's going to get. 9,471 Views Tasted Oct 11, 2013It's interesting that different vintages of Beaucastel highlight the aromatics, others the concentration and some are all about the texture. 2000 is all about the texture. Lush, silky, opulent and rich, this ripe, supple, delicious Chateaunuef du Pape is ready to drink now. 10,638 Views Tasted Jan 3, 2012For tasters seeking round, supple, textured Chateauneuf du Pape, this is the wine to buy. Add fresh black cherries, earth, pepper and kirsch aromas and a ripe black raspberry, spice filled finish and enjoy the ride. There is no big hurry to drink it, as it improved in the glass. However, I would not hold it for several years either. This is drinking perfectly today. 10,195 Views Tasted Dec 8, 2011Barnyard, pepper, plum, black cherry and garrigue aromas pair well with the powerful levels of fruit, round textures and sweet black cherry jam filled finish. Like many 2000 Southern Rhone wines, this is drinking perfectly today. 11,363 Views Tasted Jul 16, 2011 |
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1999
Château de Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Peppery, spicy, deep, and fresh, with a compelling barnyard, garrigue, kirsch and plummy core. Good concentration of flavor, balance and freshness here, this wine is really showing well today. 3,935 Views Tasted May 30, 2017The wine of vintage serves up a richly textured blast of kirsch, juicy plums, garrigue and freshly cracked, black pepper. There is a generous dose of lushly textured fruit that sticks with you from start to finish. A quick splash decanting was all this needed to show well. 3,142 Views Tasted Mar 2, 2016This is really developed into a stunning Chateauneuf du Pape. Clearly, this is the wine of the vintage. The fruit is ripe, the texture is silky, there is weight, density and character to this spicy, peppery, earthy wine. Hommage Jacques Perrin is usually very expensive. Because this is from 1999, while not cheap, the wine sells for below its true level of quality. 3,423 Views Tasted Nov 22, 20131999 Hommage Perrin - Blackberry liqueur, minerals, blueberries, fresh herbs, pepper and smoke with a hint of coffee. This intense, full bodied, voluptuous wine is rich, thick, intense and mouth coating. Some tannin remains, but the wine is showing great today. This bottle offered a much better experience than when I tasted it last year. The wine finishes with a long black cherry sensation that combines power and finesse. 5,340 Views Tasted Sep 20, 2010Huge, packed and stacked but perfectly balanced. Black and red fruit, earth, gunpowder and herbs scream from the glass. Layers of fruit take over your palate. The long red fruit filled finsh is a pleasure. 5,287 Views Tasted Jul 12, 2005Tight. With much coaxing, begging and pleading the darkly colored wine offered scents of black fruit, chocolate, licorice, earth and toffee. Some green notes appear in the finish. This needs a lot of time. 5,154 Views Tasted Oct 28, 2004 |
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1999
Château de Beaucastel (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Pepper, Provencal herbs, barnyard, earth, licorice and black cherry notes, lead to a medium/full bodied wine that is close to fully mature. Soft in texture, and open , the wine ended with a clean, bright, spicy, cherry finish. 8,097 Views Tasted Oct 11, 2012 |
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1998
Château de Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
A candidate for the Chateauneuf du Pape Hall of Fame, this wine is off the charts! Rich, long, concentrated, powerful, and refined, with a vibrancy and energy to the wealth of fruit that provides the perfect backdrop for this gem. There is an incredible mouthfeel that coats your palate with layers of spicy fruit, leaving with suggestions of cherries, peppery spices, walnuts, black tea, green olives, and kirsch that hold on for at least 60 seconds! This is just entering its prime-time drinking window. Drink from 2022-2045. 4,367 Views Tasted Aug 10, 2022All the world's great wines share one commonality, it takes no time to recognize it's a rockstar. One sniff and sip of this stunner, and I knew this was an insane bottle. With its incredible depth of flavor, concentration, and complexity, the spicy, mouthcoating fruit, with its meaty personality made you take a second sip and sniff. Rich, palate-staining and yet light on its feet, the wine holds on your palate for over 60 seconds as it builds in intensity. With 60 minutes of air, the bottle kept getting better for the next few hours. It might have gone on longer, but we finished the bottle by that point. This is better than the 1989 or 1990, and it sells for a lot less money. 5,426 Views Tasted Jun 7, 2021Stunning in every sense of the word, this has everything you need in a great wine. There is depth, complexity, incredible levels of concentration, ripe fruit galore and a finish that doesn't quit. Powerful, spicy and attention-seeking, give this some air or a few more years and drink over the next 2-3 decades! 4,871 Views Tasted Jul 17, 2019Alternating between wild, animalistic and regal, this is one of the great wine tasting experiences of my life. Fresh, lively and spicy, the fruit coats your palate with the essence of blackberry and kirsch liqueur. Intense, but perfectly in balance, the wine feels like, thick velvet, with a wild edge, giving you a blend of elegance and sauvage sensations. This is a true legend of Chateaunaeuf du Pape. 7,081 Views Tasted Dec 15, 2017This is a monster of a wine in all the right ways. Powerful, full bodied, dense and intense, the spicy, barbecue, garrigue, peppery, dark, red fruit filled nose really gets your attention. With mouth filling levels of extract and raw power, the wine coats your gums, palate and teeth with the essence of Mourvedre and Grenache. Another 5 to 10 years will add even more this immortal wine. 6,880 Views Tasted May 17, 2017Honestly, I cannot begin to tell you how good this wine is. Stunning, spell binding, off the charts, etc, all those phrases add up to the same thing, right? I'm not much for out long decanting, but 3-4 hours helped bring out the aromatics as well as allow the wine to flesh and fill out, which is where it really shines. Thick, rich, intense, fresh, full bodied, powerful, elegant and balanced, the texture is pure, mouth coating velvet. This is one of the greatest bottles of Chateauneuf du Pape ever produced! 7,566 Views Tasted Jul 26, 2016Insane levels of concentration with a unique personality. Packed with layers of ripe black and red fruit and spices. Still very young, almost primary. 6,661 Views Tasted Feb 23, 2006 |
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1998
Château de Beaucastel (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Seemingly fully mature, you find peppery, red berries, fresh herbs, spice, pepper and mint with wild strawberry notes. Medium bodied, with a spicy, kirsch and black raspberry note in the finish. There is no reason to age this wine any longer. 7,357 Views Tasted May 17, 2017This bottle seemed atypically advanced starting with the color, which looked older than its true age. The nose, with its showy, stewed, red fruits, kirsch, pepper and herbs was fine. On the palate, the wine felt lighter and a but shorter than the last time I recall tasting it. I would not be holding this wine for further aging if I owned any, 8,501 Views Tasted Nov 14, 2015Kirsch, black raspberry, herbs, pepper and barnyard scents led to a mature, soft, earthy, spice filled wine that ended with a jammy, red and black fruit filled finish. While lacking the level of concentration found in the better 1998 Chateauneuf du Pape wines, this was quite nice. 12,577 Views Tasted Oct 11, 2012Dominated by kirsch, raspberry, floral and earthy notes, this specific bottle was not as fresh, or as concentrated as it has been in previous tastings. Tasted blind against other 1998 Chateauneuf wines, it was a nice bottle, but clearly, not showing as well as it has in the past. the wine faded quicker in the glass than I remember. Note to self, open another bottle in the near future. Now, if only I could remember all these notes to myself! 13,518 Views Tasted Aug 27, 2012Popped and poured, Licorice, strawberry jam, black pepper, kirsch, Provencal herbs, earth and gravel scents fill the glass. Concentrated, soft, sweet, ripe black and white cherries with raspberry raspberry jam flavors linger in the finish. This is close to mature, but based on other great vintages of Beaucastel, there is no hurry to drink this delicious Chateauneuf du Pape. 13,811 Views Tasted Aug 19, 2011With a perfume filled with cherries, earth, spice, pepper and black raspberry scents, this Chateauneuf seems close to maturity. Rich, round and elegant on the palate, the wine finishes with soft, peppery, ripe black cherries. 13,717 Views Tasted Aug 21, 2010This kicked off with kirsch, cherry, garrigue, pepper, black raspberry and floral notes. Full bodied and intense, lush and richly textured, the wine finished with sweet, ripe black cherries and spice. 13,328 Views Tasted Aug 6, 2010This dark colored Chateauneuf du Pape looks like a young wine. Jammy black cherries, licorice, cinnamon, earth and spice aromas are all over the place. Full bodied and concentrated, this youthful wine offers a rich, flamboyant, palate feel, freshness and a long, jammy black cherry finish. This might be the finest young Beaucastel ever made.This will improve with age. I am probably being a bit stingy with the high score I gave it. 13,910 Views Tasted Jun 2, 2008Deep color with tobacco, herbs, black fruit, earth and pepper on the nose. Thick, rich, dense and elegant. Needs time. 9,936 Views Tasted Oct 28, 2006 |
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1997
Château de Beaucastel (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Mature, soft, barnyard and strawberry notes on the nose. This is a really strong effort for the for the vintage. But this needs to be enjoyed sooner than later. Some dryness and lack of fruit are found in the finish. 4,999 Views Tasted Aug 6, 2014 |
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1995
Château de Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Firm, strict and tannic, the wine is full-bodied, powerful, concentrated and intense, but there is an austerity here. Aromatically the wine is complex and intriguing but on the palate, the wine is very stubbornly tannic. At 26 years of age I am not thinking much is going to change here. 3,357 Views Tasted Oct 14, 2021Powerful, tannic and a bit stern, yet there is a wealth of spicy, peppery, red and dark red fruit, earth and barnyard to contend with. Still young, you can age this, hoping it develops more softness and less of a strict, rustic, tannic character. With time, as there is a lot of quality raw material here, things could truly improve, which is a good thing, as I have a few bottles tucked away for future drinking. 4,897 Views Tasted May 30, 2017Dark, blue/black color. Black fruit, herbs, coffee, anise, earth and caramel notes. Needs time. Huge tannins. Thick, concentrated and structured. At least 10 years are needed to open this wine. 2,418 Views Tasted Oct 28, 2004 |
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1995
Château de Beaucastel Blanc Cuvée Roussanne Vieilles Vignes (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Notes of flowers, nuts and honeyed, citrus fruits. Balanced, full bodied with a concentrated texture and taste. On the palate, tropical, citrus fruits, marzipan and spice. Good, but not great. The more white Chateauneuf I taste, the more I notice my developed preference for white Hermitage 2,859 Views Tasted Jul 14, 2004 |
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1995
Château de Beaucastel (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Tight, required extensive effort to find the aromatics. Still tannic and on the austere, or severe side of the style range. With a few hours of air, the wine softened and showed ample, spicy, red berries, but it never softened. Fans of old school, less than ripe wines will probably enjoy this a lot more than I did. 7,080 Views Tasted Oct 11, 2012 |
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1994
Château de Beaucastel (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Black pepper, barnyard, wet earth, plum and cherry aromas lead to a fully mature wine that end with sweet and sour, spicy, black cherry finish. This was quite a success for the vintage. 6,613 Views Tasted Oct 11, 2012 |
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1993
Château de Beaucastel (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Barnyard, olive, vegatal, cherry and earthy notes, medium bodied and a spicy, black cherry and stone finish are found in this fully mature wine. I'd drink this much sooner than later. 3,934 Views Tasted Oct 11, 2012 |
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1991
Château de Beaucastel (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Very earthy and serving up more barnyard character than fruit, this requires immediate consumption as most of the fruit has faded. 9,465 Views Tasted Aug 6, 2014Light in color with a nose of barnyard, brett and hints of earthy, red berries. This thin wine ended with sour, tart cherries. 4,788 Views Tasted Oct 11, 2012 |
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1990
Château de Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Clearly drinking at peak, the nose is off the hook with its olives, herbs, smoked red cherries, bright red plums, black pepper, flowers, and thyme notes. There is power here which is balanced by the wine's elegance, which allows the finish to shine with all of its meaty, red fruits that linger. Drink from 2022-2035. 3,818 Views Tasted Aug 10, 2022Not as clean as previous bottles, this showed a distinctive, barnyard, animal character. Still, there was a lot to like about it. Full bodied, rich, round, spicy and fresh, the tannins have melted away. The earthy kirsch sang loud and clear, but the animalistic notes demanded to be heard as well. So, some will like this specific bottle more than others. 6,830 Views Tasted Jul 23, 2018This was the second bottle tasted this year, and both times, the wine easily hit the top of the hit parade, with triple digit scores. The levels of concentration found here is remarkable, especially as everything is in balance and harmony. The fruit is fresh, pure and vibrant, the spicy quality just shines. The finish, which is impossible to tire of, must last at least 60 second, or longer. It is a legend in the making. Most pricey wines let you down, as expectations are often too high, but this is one expensive wine that truly delivers the goods. 4,940 Views Tasted Dec 15, 2017Just not a wine you see often, but when you do, it's a thrill and a treat. Served double blind, with its distinctive, barnyard component, I was sure it was a top vintage of Bonneau Celestins. Full bodied, youthful, with an earthy, animalistic, spicy, perfume that adds to the plum, kirsch and black cherry notes. Full bodied, concentrated and long, the tannins are, soft, refined and feel great. If you're lucky enough to be sitting on a few bottles, pop a cork on one now, and age the other for another decade. 4,033 Views Tasted May 30, 2017Explosive, pungent aromas of barnyard, black pepper, plum liqueur, black cherry jam, truffle, meat and spice. This wine is huge. But everything is in perfect balance and harmony. Concentrated and dense, this powerful wine coats your palate with essence of Chateauneuf. Still young at 20, this can easily improve for another 20-30 years. This is an amazing wine that offers a mind blowing tasting experience. 11,544 Views Tasted May 26, 2011 |
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1990
Château de Beaucastel (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Better than my previous experience, but not at the extraordinary level it was about 5 years ago, the medium-bodied wine is elegant, refined, soft, silky, and spicy with layers of sweet cherries, kirsch, green olives, earthy raspberries, pepper, and herbs. There is no need to decant and no reason to hold this any longer. Drink 2022-2024. 4,145 Views Tasted Aug 9, 2022No decanting here. Just a pop and pour was all that was needed to bring the flowers, baked cherry, kirsch, spice box, herb and green olive aromatics. Silky, soft, fresh sweet and tart cherries with a strong note of olive tapenade and cocoa in the finish. This is not as good as it was a few years ago. If you are sitting on any bottles, you should consider drinking this sooner than later. 5,569 Views Tasted Feb 9, 20201990 Beaucastel is a consistent beauty that always seems to deliver. The wine is complex, with a garrigue, thyme and kirsch filled nose. The texture is luscious, silky and sauvage, ending with a blast of fresh, sweet, spicy cherries. This is probably at peak, but there is probably no hurry to finish your stash. 5,978 Views Tasted Nov 29, 2014Can you say Rockstar! Wow! Packed with supple textured, ripe, sweet, spicy, fleshy red berries, plum, herb, earth and kirsch aromas, every sniff and sip got better and better. While there is no urgent need to finish your bottles, I do not think there is much to gain by holding them any longer. 6,828 Views Tasted May 31, 2014It's obvious I caught this wine in the sweet spot with all its sweet, ripe and over ripe dark red berries, cherries, kirsch, pepper, sweaty horse and garrigue aromatics. The wine is soft, elegant, concentrated and deep, ending with a least 40 seconds of black and red spicy fruits. There are times I prefer the 1989 and other days when I think the 1990 is the wine to have. Today, it's the 1990! 6,626 Views Tasted Jan 21, 2014On the nose, barnyard aromatics meshed with rose, leather, black pepper, roasted strawberry, BBQ spice and grilled steak. On the palate, silky, rich, concentrated flavors of ripe black cherry and wild strawberry fill your mouth with pleasure. The finish ends with a 40 second blast of black and red fruit. Everything is in balance. This wine seems fully developed and while there is no hurry to drink it, based on this bottle I am not sure it's going to improve. 6,528 Views Tasted Nov 10, 2011Once you got past the horse scents, (which some people didn’t) spices, earth, wild cherries, jammy black fruit and more were a pleasure to discern in this Chateauneuf du Pape! This is no shy wine and your palate knows it as it becomes coated in lush, sweet, jammy fruit. This was a good bottle of 90 Beaucastel, but I've tasted better examples 6,354 Views Tasted Nov 18, 2010Expressive aromatics starting with barnyard scents meshed with rose petals, leather, black pepper, strawberry, BBQ and grilled steak. On the palate, silky, rich, concentrated flavors of ripe black cherry and wild strawberries fill your mouth. The finish ends with a 40 second blast of spicy, black and red fruits in this Chateauneuf du Pape wine. 6,791 Views Tasted Dec 27, 2009Smoky, dark red fruit, pepper and spice. Deep, full bodied, round and ripe. Finishes with soft textures, and a myriad of red and black fruits. 6,301 Views Tasted Feb 23, 2006Dark, saturated color. Aromas of black cherry liqueur, BBQ spice and herbs. Deep dark, juicy plums and soft texture complete the finish. 6,383 Views Tasted Oct 28, 2004 |
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1989
Château de Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Vibrant, fresh and crisp, peppery, smoked red, black, and blue fruits are all over the place here on the nose, accompanied by dried flowers, pepper, mesquite, and Indian spices, and on the full-bodied, concentrated, zesty palate. The finish, with its olive and paprika-tinged red berry character, goes on and on. Drink from 2022-2032. 5,181 Views Tasted Aug 10, 2022At 30, this is in the sweet spot. If you are lucky enough to have a bottle, this gem rocks! The spicy peppery, floral, earthy, kirsch and herbal nose could keep anyone busy. But the purity of the fruity, the non-stop energy, the length and complexity found in the soft, silky, peppery kirsch that sticks with you for over 60 seconds is profound. Due to their scarcity and high price, it is close to impossible to score these older bottles. If you have the time, patience, cold cellar and disposable income to purchase these young, you will be well-served and glad you made the initial sacrifice. 4,703 Views Tasted Nov 20, 2019It's hard to believe this is closing in on 30 years of age, with all its vibrancy and fresh fruit. There are more than enough secondary characteristics to keep you busy here, with its barnyard, animal, spice, smoke, earth, garrigue, pepper and red berries. Powerful, focused, fresh and long, drink this now or age it for 10-20 more years. This is almost immortal. 5,071 Views Tasted May 30, 2017Off the charts in every way, shape and form, this is stunning from start to finish. Blend intoxicating aromatics, intense concentration of pure fruits, and a rich, pure, fresh, vibrant finish that stick with you for 60 seconds or longer and you're almost there. 5,361 Views Tasted Nov 6, 20151989 Beaucastel Hommage should carry a G rating. Garrigue, Griotte and Grenache shine though. In addition,the debut vintage for this wine is filled with peppery black cherry fruit, minerality and spice. Rich, and full bodied, but not over the top, this intense wine is powerful and refined. The finish ends with a long, ripe, fresh sensation on black cherries and fresh ground pepper. 10,977 Views Tasted Oct 25, 2010 |
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1989
Château de Beaucastel (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Not the most consistent bottle on the planet, but then you probably knew that already. This bottle was a beauty. Silky in texture, with a purity to the kirsch and cherries that were surrounded by loads of pepper, spice, tobacco, earth and herbs. Purchased on release, this was the best bottle of this wine I have had in a while. I would not hold it for further development. If you have a bottle, pop a cork. 6,768 Views Tasted Jul 17, 2018Starting to fade, but at close to 30 years of age, it's more than understood. Even at its advanced age, the silky, fresh, earthy, kirsch and red plums are seductive. The strong sense of lavender, cherry, pepper and assorted underbrush aromatics keep you coming back for more. This bottles was as clean and fresh as you're going to find here. I'd opt for drinking any remaining bottles over the next 5-7 years before the fruit fades even further. 5,609 Views Tasted Feb 12, 2018Another lucky bottle, as this was clean and pristine. With much more ripe red fruit, spice, herbs and only a hint of barnyard, the wine was supple, silky, concentrated and long! 6,257 Views Tasted May 31, 2014It's always a roll of the dice with 1989 Beaucastel. Some bottles are so horsey, you'd think you were in a barn or stable. Other bottles have had issues with their corks. But when you taste a clean, well-stored bottle, you're in for a treat. Fortunately, this was a clean bottle! With the perfect amount of earth, garrigue, black cherry, kirsch. strawberry jam and exotic spice and sensuous textures that ended with a long, opulent finish. While this is fully mature, if you waited another decade before popping bottle, it might be even better! 7,971 Views Tasted Aug 29, 2012With all the bottle variation associated with the 89 Beaucastel, we got lucky. This was a pristine bottle and it was truly showing its stuff. This was possibly the finest bottle of 89 Beaucastel I've ever tasted! My first descriptor was "Wow!" Herbs, cherries, licorice, coffee and pepper notes exploded from the glass. Dense full bodied, with mountains of bright red and black fruit take over your palate. Initially the attack was slightly bitter, but that dissipated within a few moments. This is a big, concentrated, complex wine offering multiple layers of fruit, that still has a long future to look forward to. Great stuff! 5,757 Views Tasted Sep 15, 2011Barnyard, pepper, strawberry jam, kirsch, cassis and herbs made up the perfume. This fully mature bottle felt rich, creamy and round in the mouth. Abundant peppery, black cherry liqueur flavors remained in your mouth for almost 40 seconds. This wine seems more mature than other recent bottles. 8,525 Views Tasted Nov 17, 2010This wine can show bottle variation, but not tonight. It was sporting a spicy nose black and red fruit nose with no signs of brett. Concentrated with lush textures, the wine ended with a blast of ripe, black pepper tinged fruit. 5,518 Views Tasted Aug 17, 2009Spicy, rich and concentrated with herbs and a mélange of red and black fruits. 5,385 Views Tasted Feb 23, 2006 |
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1986
Château de Beaucastel (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
On the bright side, the finish was short. Tea in color, while you could find hints of strawberry, there was more of a metallic edge paired with barnyard, herbs earth and pepper on the nose. Tart and lacking in fruit, this is on the downward spiral. 7,841 Views Tasted May 17, 2017 |
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1985
Château de Beaucastel (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Light in color and density, the fruit seemd to be slowly fading away. The spicy red berries and kirsch tones were a treat, but I could not help feeling this wine has seen better days. 3,491 Views Tasted May 31, 2014 |
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1981
Château de Beaucastel (Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
The last bottle from my case. Still a charmer, though it has dropped much of concentration over the past 40 years, there was more than enough gas in the tank to make it interesting. Medium-bodied, soft, elegant, silky and fresh, the spicy, bright red fruits, pepper, herbs and flowers showed well on the nose and stayed with you through the finish. No decanted needed, as this slowly fading. If you have a bottle, drink up sooner than later. 3,702 Views Tasted Jul 27, 2021This wine must be immortal. It never fades away. There is so much delicious, ripe, soft, sweet fruit and complex, earthy, spicy, red berry aromas and truffle, this tasted like it was at least a decade younger. I wish I had more than one bottle remaining. 4,807 Views Tasted May 31, 2014Notes of earth, truffles and jammy, black raspberries. Very silky, powerful entry. The long finish had the perfect touch of strawberry and kirsch notes. Great purity of fruit. 2,882 Views Tasted Oct 28, 2010Great nose full of barnyard, earth and stewed red and black fruits. Beautiful, elegant texture. Very complex juice. 2,753 Views Tasted Jul 25, 2005 |
