Chateau Beauchene Chateauneuf du Pape, Rhone Wine, Complete Guide

Learn everything about Chateau Beauchene Chateauneuf du Pape with wine tasting notes, wine, and food pairing tips, best vintages, 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

Chateau Beauchene History, Overview

Chateau Beauchene is one of the older vineyards in the Southern Rhone Valley as the estate was originally founded in 1794! However, the Bernard family, the owner of Chateau Beauchene dates be even longer, as they can be traced all the way back to the 15th century.

Michele Bernard and Dominique Bernard have been in control of the estate since 1971. Today, their daughter Amandine Bernard is working with her parents at the property and it is expected that she will be placed in charge of managing the winery.

Chateau Beauchene Vineyards, Wines, Winemaking

Chateau Beauchene owns 8 hectares of vines in Chateauneuf du Pape and 72 hectares of vines in the Cotes du Rhone appellation.

Chateau Beauchene produces 3 red Chateauneuf du Pape wines and 1 Chateauneuf du Pape white wine.

Chateau Beauchene Vignoble la Serriere is made from a blend of 65% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 5% Mourvedre. The wine is aged for 12 months in used, French oak barrels before bottling. The production is limited with about 175 cases of wine produced per vintage.

Chateau Beauchene Grande Reserve is made from a blend of 80% Grenache, 15% Syrah, and 5% Mourvedre. The vines average between 50 to 100 years of age. The terroir is a mix of galets and sand soils.

The wine is aged using a small portion of new, French oak casks, while the remainder of the wine is aged in used, French oak barrels and tanks for 18 months. The production is on average about 800 cases of this wine per year.

Chateau Beauchene Hommage a Odette Bernard is culled from the best barrels that would normally be placed in the Grande Reserve. The wine receives an extended period of barrel aging as well. The wine is produced by blending 85% Grenache with Mourvedre.

The terroir blends galets with sandy soils. The wine is aged using a small portion of new, French oak casks, while the remainder of the wine is aged in used, French oak barrels and tanks for 18 months.

Chateau Beauchene la Serriere Blanc is made from a blend of 30% Bourboulenc, 20% Grenache Blanc, 30% Roussanne and 20% Clairette. On average, the production is close to 125 cases of wine each vintage.

When to Drink Chateau Beauchene, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time

Chateau Beauchene can be enjoyed on the young side. Young vintages can be popped and poured, or decanted for about 1 hour, 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 Beauchene is usually better with 2-4 years of bottle age. Of course, that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage. In the best vintages, the wine should be consumed within 3-12 years after the vintage.

Serving Chateau Beauchene with Wine, Food, Pairing Tips

Chateau Beauchene is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift.

Chateau Beauchene is best served with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, stewed, and grilled dishes, smoked meats, barbecue, sausage, cassoulet, eggplant, and tomatoes. Chateau Beauchene is also good with Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, pasta, and cheese.

The white wine of Chateau Beauchene 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.

Chateau Beauchene also produces 4 red Cotes du Rhone and 2 white Cotes du Rhone wines.

www.chateaubeauchene.fr