2013 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge, Château de Beaucastel
Critics reviews
Jeb Dunnuck - 30/10/2015
Jancis Robinson - jancisrobinson.com - 12-Nov-2014
About this WINE
Chateau de Beaucastel
Château de Beaucastel is one of the most consistently impressive properties in the south of France and a worthy flag-bearer for its famous appellation. The main challenge of the 2019 vintage was the deluge of rain at the start of the season and the relative drought which followed. However, the Perrin family’s largely organic and biodynamic approach coupled with a very high average vine age meant they were more able to balance the yo-yo effects of the seasons. While we offered their full range upon release back in November 2020, we kept a little of two wines back to include alongside our wider Rhône offering. The 2019s are true to the vintage, individual terroirs and the Perrin/Beaucastel traditions, offering complexity alongside balance and structure.
Châteauneuf-du-Pape
The most celebrated village of the Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the birthplace of the now indispensable French Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée system – imperfect though it may be. Compared to the Northern Rhône, the vineyards here are relatively flat and often feature the iconic galet pebbles – the precise benefits of which are a source of much debate. Minimum alcohol levels required by the AOC are the highest in France, but at 12.5% it is well below the natural generosity of Grenache, which only achieves its full aromatic potential when it is fully ripe and laden with the resultant high sugars. Syrah and Mourvèdre contribute the other defining elements in the blend, adding pepper, savoury spice and structure to the decadent Grenache. There are a further 10 permitted red grape varieties which can be used to adjust the “seasoning”. Of the five white varieties permitted, it is Grenache Noir’s sibling – predictably perhaps – Grenache Blanc, which dominates, though Roussanne shows a great deal of promise when handled well, notably at Château de Beaucastel.
Grenache/Garnacha
Grenache (Noir) is widely grown and comes in a variety of styles. Believed to originate in Spain, it was, in the late 20th century, the most widely planted black grape variety in the world. Today it hovers around seventh in the pecking order. It tends to produce very fruity, rich wines that can range quite widely in their level of tannin.
In many regions – most famously the Southern Rhône, where it complements Syrah and Mourvèdre, among other grapes – it adds backbone and colour to blends, but some of the most notable Châteauneuf du Pape producers (such as Château Rayas) make 100 percent Grenache wines. The grape is a component in many wines of the Languedoc (where you’ll also find its lighter-coloured forms, Grenache Gris and Blanc) and is responsible for much southern French rosé – taking the lead in most Provence styles.
Found all over Spain as Garnacha Tinta (spelt Garnaxa in Catalonia), the grape variety is increasingly detailed on wine labels there. Along with Tempranillo, it forms the majority of the blend for Rioja’s reds and has been adopted widely in Navarra, where it produces lighter styles of red and rosado (rosé). It can also be found operating under a pseudonym, Cannonau, in Sardinia.
Beyond Europe, Grenache is widely planted in California and Australia, largely thanks to its ability to operate in high temperatures and without much water. Particularly in the Barossa Valley, there are some extraordinary dry-farmed bush vines, some of which are centuries old and produce wines of startling intensity.
Description
Beaucastel 2013 is a triumph, its low yields (17hl/ha) ensuring harmonious concentration, and its use of all 13 varieties ensuring that the minor reduction in the Grenache component has been more than made up by additional varietals, in this case Mourvèdre, Counoise, Vaccarèse and Terret Noir in particular – in other words, all the varieties that have the potential, when in the right hands, to gel into something magical. Beaucastel are past masters when it comes to this type of alchemy, and the 2013 shows all the signs of joining the pantheon of greats.
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