Chateau de Beaucastel, Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2019

Country: France Region: Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhône

Varietal: 30% Grenache/Garnacha , 30% Mourvèdre, 15% Roussanne, 10% Syrah/Shiraz), 10% Counoise, 5% Cinsault

Vintage: 20019 Colour: Red Style: Dry

Producer: Chateau de Beaucastel

Description:

Château de Beaucastel own 110 hectares, with one single plot in the north of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation, where they grow all 13 authorised grape varieties. The vines are farmed organically and are on average 50-years-old. They are planted on pudding stone soils, which are traditional to the Southern Rhône. These stones retain heat from the day and keep the vines warm at night, helping to ripen the grapes. The sub-soils are made up of sand, clay and limestone.

Each variety was hand harvested and vinified separately. The Mourvedre and Syrah were vinified in oak barrels, while the other varieties in the blend were vinifed traditional tiled cement tanks. After malolactic fermentation, the different varieties were blended and the wine aged in oak foudres for 12 months before it was bottled.

The 16th century Château de Beaucastel was acquired by the Perrin family in the early 1900s. With a global following for their benchmark Châteauneuf du Pape, the wines at this historic property are consistently among the finest in the region.

The 2019 vintage can be described as a wine with good structure and soft tannins. The wine is balanced and has great acidity despite the high temperatures in August. This wine has characteristics of great vintages such as 2005 and 2007, with great ageing potential.

 "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!"
- 95/100, Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider