Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2003

IWC 93 (2/2006): Deep, dense red color. Vibrant aromas of aromas of cherry, wild herbs, fresh flowers and minerals. Energetic and sweet, showing no overripe qualities; offers a silky, suave texture and wonderfully pure red berry, fresh plum, kirsch and fig flavors. Those with an aversion to the funky, gamey character that can characterize Beaucastel in "typical" vintages owe it to themselves to check this out. Clearly, the Perrins know what to do with grenache, even if it's not their favorite grape.

October 2008

WA 92 (2/2006): The 2003 Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape turned out as well as I could have hoped and is certainly an outstanding wine, deep ruby/purple with a tight but promising nose of black fruits, loamy, earthy notes intermixed with pepper, smoke, licorice, and dried herbs. The wine is somewhat closed in the mouth (but it had been bottled 30 days prior to my visit), has full bodied, moderately high, slightly rustic tannins, but big-impact flavors with plenty of texture, density, and purity. Give this wine 3-5 years of bottle age, and drink it over the following 20 years.

October 2008

Wine Spectator: 94 Young and tight, with [i]garrigue[n] and roasted game aromas peeking out from a core of ripe black currant, plum and fig fruit. Lots of toast tobacco and iron as well. The finish is well-endowed with tannins, but they are ripe and pure. Best from 2008 through 2025. 15,000 cases made. (JM)

March 2009

Wine & Spirits rating: 91

November 2008

The Wine Advocate rating: 92

November 2008

One of the big names of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and this wine jusitfies the fame of the Perrin families property. It is a rich style, but more importantly, it is beautifully made, structured, dense... -Wine Enthusiast 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 read more...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 cuvee. Its austere tannic backbone and resistant to oxidation help Beaucastel age gracefully.    (hide)