Chateau der Beaucastel, RhoneValley and Tasting notes

Chateau De Beaucastel

Châteauneuf-du-Pape, twenty kilometres north of Avignon, is both the centre geographically and the apex qualitatively of the wines of the southern Côtes du Rhône. It is a large vignoble, the 19,000 hectares producing over a million cases of wine a year - three times as much as all the northern Rhône appellations put together. It is also, like Bordeaux, a region of large estates, most in one piece surrounding the château and its outbuildings, and, moreover, self-sufficient and individual in wine terms.

The styles of the top Châteauneuf-du-Pape domaines contrast interestingly with one another, as do individual châteaux in Bordeaux, and for the same reason. Each reflects it own particular soil, mixture of grape varieties, micro-climate, and, perhaps most importantly, differences in vinification techniques. Each, obviously, is a mirror of the personality and skill of the man who makes the wine.

Leading these properties is one of the largest and most ancient, a growth whose wine was served to William of Nassau, Prince of Orange, long before the family was translated north to the low countries. This is Beaucastel, an estate whose records date back to the middle of the sixteenth century.

Beaucastel lies to the north-east of the area, on the edge of the motorway which runs round the side of the appellation, and appears to have been a lieu-dit or place name. In 1832 there were some twenty six ares under vines (an are is a hundred square metres) out of a total property of thirty hectares. Later Beaucastel passed into the hands of Elie Dussaud, a companion of Ferdinand de Lesseps during the building of the Suez Canal.

By this time the phylloxera epidemic was at its fullest destructive power. The wine of Beaucastel ceased to exist, and it was not until the arrival of Pierre Tramier in 1909 that replanting began again. Tramier's good work was continued by his son-in-law Pierre Perrin, who took over in 1921, and his grandson Jacques, who made his first vintage on his own in 1954 and passed away in 1978. Responsibility now lies with François Perrin (born 1954), the youngest of Jacques' two sons. Today there are 100 hectares under vines, 70 in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, 30 across the motorway making an excellent Côtes du Rhône called Cru du Coudoulet. The Beaucastel vineyard is planted as follows: 10% white grapes (see below), 10% Vaccarèse, Muscardin and Terret Noir, 30% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah, 5% Cinsault, 5% Cournoise: all the 13 authorised varieties.

As you will notice the Mourvèdre percentage is unusually high. This is deliberate. The Perrins swear by it. "If Beaucastel has a reputation," says François "it is thanks to the Mourvèdre."

There are also two white wines, though in tiny quantities. The basic Beaucastel Blanc is made from 80% Roussanne, 15% Grenache Blanc and 5% Bourboulenc, Picpoul and Clairette. Thirty per cent of the Roussanne is vinified in new oak, the rest in tank, and the various elements blended together later and bottled in the spring. Additionally there is a Roussanne Vieille Vigne, half fermented in oak, half in stainless steel.

Both these - not forgetting Cru du Coudoulet Viognier too - are really excellent example of Midi blanc, so good, you would have difficulty placing them in southern France if you first tasted them blind. The Vieille Vigne is a brilliant wine.

Beaucastel is perfectionistic in its viticultural methods. Since 1964, neither chemical pesticides, herbicides nor artificial fertiliser has been used in the vineyard. The land is manured with sheepshit and the previous year's skins, pips and stalks, and the vines merely treated with bouillie bordelaise (copper sulphate solution) and sulphur against various forms of mildew.

The vinification methods at Beaucastel are unique to the property, and largely responsible for the individuality and quality of the wine. The grape bunches are entirely de-stemmed (this is now becoming more and more common elsewhere in the appellation). Then, without crushing, they are heated to 80°C for around two minutes as they are pumped towards the vats and then rapidly cooled back to normal temperatures.

This flash heating process - a form of pasteurisation - only affects the skins of the grapes, and has been going on since the war, following experiments by the late Jacques Perrin and his father. The object is to aid the extraction of colour and fruit, by softening the skins, and also to kill the polyplenoloxidase enzymes which cause wine to oxidise quickly. Because of this it is not necessary to sulphur the grapes and must as much as elsewhere. It is also, surprisingly, not necessary to add artificial yeasts. Though much of the yeast which is naturally present on the skin of the grape must be killed, there is enough left, in the opinion of the Perrins, in the cellar and in the vineyard to compensate.

Thereafter the berries are pumped into the fermentation vats and the cuvaison takes place for about 15 days, controlled at 25°-30°C. Subsequently the final juice is extracted by a Willmess press; the wine from the different grapes blended in February or March and the wine matured in oak foudres (50 hectolitre capacity or smaller) for a further year and a couple of months before bottling. The wine is not filtered.

In 1989 the Perrins produced a special red wine cuvée "Hommage à Jacques Perrin" in honour of their father. François and his brother Jean-Pierre were tasting the various elements of this brilliant vintage, prior to the creation of the Beaucastel blend, when they came across a foudre of old vine Mourvèdre which was so stupendous it cried out for special treatment. They isolated this, found some complimentary wine, including some particularly good Cournoise, and bottled it separately. It is simply the best young Châteauneuf I have ever sampled.

At any one time Beaucastel will have the equivalent of five vintages maturing in the cellar, a great deal more than most Châteauneuf-du-Pape estates. Because of space constraints many properties cannot bottle an entire vintage in one go; and as a result bottles can vary enormously. To avoid this problem a new storage cellar was constructed at Beaucastel in 1981, three times as large as the older one, in order to be able to bottle the entire harvest at the optimum moment.

Beaucastel is one of the finest and longest-lasting Châteauneuf-du-Papes. About 2200 hectolitres (nearly twenty-five thousand cases) is produced annually, and it normally takes some six years to come in to its own. As with most of the wines of the area, Beaucastel is full bodied, sturdy and meaty, with a robust hardness - even fieriness - when immature, but a solid, warm richness when ready for drinking. What distinguishes Beaucastel from the run of the mill is its inherent elegance - a word not often used for the wines of the area - albeit in a rather opulent, even aggressive, spicy and aromatic manner. Quite simply, it is usually the best wine in the appellation. It also ages well in bottle.

The Tasting

I sampled the following wines at Beaucastel in October 2004.

Optimum

Drinking

Chateau De Beaucastel, 2001 2010-2025+

Fine, full colour. Rich, ripe, succulent nose. Not a bit aggressive. Very lovely fruit. Fullish body. Very good grip. This has excellent depth and harmony. Very ripe tannins. Abundant, complex and very stylish. Very fine.

Chateau De Beaucastel, 2000 2007-2019

Medium-full colour. Soft, exotically ripe, plump nose. Medium-full weight. Very rich, almost jammy, fruit. Very good fruit. Not as classic as the 2001 but a wine of great charm. Splendidly succulent. Fine.

Chateau De Beaucastel, 1999 2008-2020+

Fine, full colour. Quite firm on the nose. Full and rather more black fruity than the 2000. More grip too. Fullish body. There is a very cool, slightly austere, elegant character here which I like very much. A little tannin. ripe, long and profound at the end. Fine plus.

Chateau De Beaucastel, 1998 Now-2015

Very good, full colour. Accessible nose with a touch of spice. Ripe but quite soft. Medium-full body. Fresher on the palate than on the nose. The tannins now just about resolved. Good grip. Stylish, balanced and fruity. Just about ready. Very good indeed.

Chateau De Beaucastel, 1997 Now-2012

Medium to medium-full colour. Some evolution. Soft, plump nose. No great depth here. A medium weight, fully mature wine. Ripe, attractive and fruity. Nice freshness on the palate. Stylish. Very good.

Chateau De Beaucastel, 1996 Now-2018

Fullish colour. A little evolution. Fresh, rich, fullish nose. Abundant, harmonious and elegant. Fullish body. Good grip. The tannins are now resolved. This has depth, length and dimension. Nicely cool, like the 1999. Just about ready. Long on the palate. Fine.

Chateau De Beaucastel, 1995 Now-2010

Full colour. Still very youthful. Ripe but rather closed on the nose. Not too burly though. Slightly roasted fruit flavours. Medium-full body. Slightly astringent on the palate. A slight absence of real succulence. Slightly bitter at the end. Decent fruit and acidity but a lack of style. A point. Quite good at best.

Chateau De Beaucastel, 1994 Drink Soon

Medium-full colour. Now mature. Not a lot of depth on the nose. Fresh and fruity but a little one-dimensional. A lightish wine but fresh and quite stylish. Easy to drink. I get more enjoyment here than in the 1995. Positive finish. Good.

Chateau De Beaucastel, 1993 Drink Up

Medium-full colour. Now mature. Lightish and slightly attenuated nose. Light to medium body. Slightly astringent. This lacks the freshness of the 1994. Only fair.

Chateau De Beaucastel, 1992 Now-2014

Fullish colour. Still quite fresh-looking. Succulent, positive, attractively fresh, plump nose. Medium-full body. Good grip. This is fruity and elegant and surprisingly harmonious and long on the palate. A point. Very good plus.

Chateau De Beaucastel, 1990 Now-2025+

Full, vigorous colour. Rich, concentrated, profound nose. There is a lot of depth and quality here. Full body. Very rich and ripe, fat and succulent. Excellent grip. Vigorous, multi-dimensional, long and classic. Very impressive. This is a very fine wine indeed. Just about ready.

Chateau De Beaucastel, 1989 Now-2020

Full, vigorous colour. Fat, luscious, succulent, splendidly ripe nose. Fullish bodied, almost sweet, rich and abundant on the palate. Good acidity if not the grip of the 1990. A more Grenache-flavoured wine. Slightly hotter than the 1990. Not quite as glorious but very fine nonetheless.

Chateau De Beaucastel, 1988 Now-2020+

Full colour. Still quite austere looking. Quite a firm, austere nose. Fullish body. Youthful. Good tannins. Very good grip. Quite rich. But quite sizeable. Slightly sturdy. Slightly muscular. Even more than the rest this is a wine for food. Balanced. Ripe. Positive. Long. Fine. Will last well.

Chateau De Beaucastel, 1985 Now-2015

Full, mature colour. Very Châteauneuf-du-Pape on the nose. Ripe and round. Grenache to the fore. Medium to medium-full body. A point. Fresh but spicy. Good acidity. This is complex, plump, fruity and seductive. Lovely long finish. Fine plus.

Chateau De Beaucastel, 1981 Drink Quite Soon

Medium-full, mature colour. Round and cedar-woody on the nose. Balanced and very stylish. Medium to medium-full body. Lovely harmony. Plump and ripe. Cool and composed. Very long. Very lovely. Very harmonious. Quite delicious. And almost in the style of a Rhône Septentrional. Very fine.

Chateau De Beaucastel, 1980 Drink Soon

Fullish, quite youthful colour. Good ripe fruit on the nose. Now gentle, but fragrant and stylish. Medium-full body. Not the intense freshness and sheer flair of the 1981. More Grenache-y Now a little astringent. But ripe and sweet and fresh enough. Positive at the end. Very good indeed.

Chateau De Beaucastel, 1970 Now-2009

Rich, fullish colour. Fresh, plump, elegant nose. Lovely fruit here. Surprisingly vigorous. Medium-full body. Very harmonious, very fresh, very complex and very elegant on the palate. Long and multi-dimensional. Very impressive long finish. Very fine indeed. No hurry to finish up.

Chateau De Beaucastel, 1962 Now-2009

Medium-full, well matured colour. Cedar and sandal woody nose. Fresh. Complex, sweet fruit. This could almost be an old Côte Rôtie, like the 1981. Medium-full body. Excellently fresh and mellow. Very silky. Not a bit hot or astringent. Very elegant. Very long. Excellent. Can still be kept.