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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 89.5 pts. and median of 90 pts. in 202 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by chrispaw on 12/28/2023 & rated 91 points: Nase: konfierte rote Früchte (Brombeere, Backpflaume), leichter Speck, Mund: leichte Säure, frisch, voll, milde Tannine. Länge moderat. (223 views) | | | Tasted by MeurigW on 8/11/2022: Past it’s prime but still ok. But don’t let it sit on the table for too long. (954 views) | | | Tasted by kris.h on 1/9/2022 & rated 90 points: Somehow a few more years turned into 12. This 20+ year old cork extracted cleanly show just 3 or 4 millimeters of wine seepage. Appropriate color. The nose is lovely with moderate notes of garrigue, berries, and subtle leather. The palate is smooth and so drinkable. Light fruit remains, soft tannins, and lively acidity make this a joy to drink. Such a nice surprise from a wine that should have been drank 10 years ago. Holding well and based on this bottle should continue for at least a few more years. (1346 views) | | | Tasted by Gr8penut on 3/20/2021 & rated 91 points: Another, and last, of my 2001 Coudoulet de Beaucastel. Again, this is a second label Beaucastel and after the previous tasting, I had visions of pouring another bottle down the drain.
Upon opening, even the cork was saturated so I had a little hope (that is why I learned to place little credence in condition of the cork – they are not always a good indication of the condition of the wine). But to my surprise, it was fantastic! Even at 20 years old, this wine still had a lot of back bone and structure, while smooth and a treat to taste! #wine #winelover #winelovers #beaucastel (1584 views) | | | Tasted by pbaek on 9/5/2020 flawed bottle: 2 bottles, both corked. (1911 views) | | | Tasted by eboracum on 4/3/2020 & rated 93 points: Four+ years ago I said that I should open my remaining bottle quite soon and, indeed, on first sip I felt that it had faded into a shadow of what as a quasi CndP it must have been in its youth. However from the second sip I adjusted to its reduced dimensions and found an absolutely delicious and ethereal wine with sublime cherry tinged mature fruit and complex undertones leading to a long fragrant finish. Excellent in this guise. (1929 views) | | | Tasted by Philippe_C on 12/9/2019 & rated 92 points: Very evolved nose, very gamey, sanglier, sandalwood, cedar, candied red cherries, brown sugar.... Tannins still a bit present, super sappy, red cherries, lenght of 20 sec (1832 views) | | | Tasted by DaleW on 2/6/2019: Nice baby CdP. Redder fruit, some funk, smoke and spice. Drinking very well right now. B+/B (1724 views) | | | Tasted by pbaek on 12/28/2017: Terrific showing. Reminds me of Beaucastel of old days with its farm notes. This is finessed though, upright in style with marks of dark plum, figs an dates and garrigue. There's a baked, warm side to the fruit. Will keep. (2091 views) | | | Tasted by JBVino on 5/13/2017: Still providing pleasure. Nice weight, fruit hanging around and decent length/flavor profile. (3223 views) | | | Tasted by SimonS on 9/26/2016 & rated 89 points: Somewhat to my surprise, this is still going. Not too brown, nose correct and a good flavour, though acid a little spiky. Certainly time to drink up, but still happy to do so on this showing. (3738 views) | | | Tasted by Hanz on 4/23/2016 & rated 91 points: Blackberry, blackcurrant, cocoa and a tiny note of ammonia.
Medium+ body, nice finish.
Big one!
50+5+12+16+8=91 (4419 views) | | | Tasted by sjw_11 on 4/19/2016 & rated 91 points: Mahogany red. Brown edges, with a distinct clear meniscus. Aromas of chicken poo, barnyard, mahogany/old polished wood, cigar and plush leather. Clearly more tertiary in the spectrum and fully developed, but a pleasant wine to drink. Drink now. (2517 views) | | | Tasted by drwine2001 on 3/10/2016: Bonhams Pre-Sale Tasting (San Francisco): Light, pale red. Funk and earth-alright, old style Beaucastel!! Fairly supple, soil and light retained fruit. Good, although probably at the end of its life span. Makes me want to taste the Beaucastel itself from this vintage. (4913 views) | | | Tasted by eboracum on 12/15/2015 & rated 92 points: A delicious bottle of Coudoulet with more charm and elegance than in many vintages. Colour showed some bricking. Nose was very expressive and full of sweet cherry dominated dark fruit. The palate was medium/full bodied with good depth and velvety texture and, like the nose, was full of ripe fruit playing variations on the theme of sweet dark cherry as far as kirsch touches on the decently long finish and there were also smooth acidity, mint and faint liquorice touches. Tannins were well covered but enough to give adequate backbone. I seem to have been luckier than others who complain about loss of fruit but, at first, there were hints of decay which were rapidly obscured as the aromas opened up; so I will open my remaining bottle quite soon. Very good. (3449 views) | | | Tasted by GlenviewGSW on 12/11/2015 & rated 87 points: Getting a little over the hill at this stage of its life. Bricking and clear on the edges with sediment present. Still reasonably balanced but it is losing the fruit - drink up now (3345 views) | | | Tasted by Loren Sonkin on 9/6/2015 & rated 90 points: Rhone varietals on a Saturday afternoon (Chesterland): Ruby/brown in color. The nose is nice. Complex with dusty black cherries. Tart but within reason, acidity on the palate. Still nice cherry fruit. Slight heat. At 14, this is certainly on its downward slide but lots of enjoyment here. Some complexity. It would be better with food to tame the acidity. (3393 views) | | | Tasted by pbaek on 8/14/2015: In a good place now, the fruit is brown-toned and there's a mix of tertiary flavors behind. Very good structure here, well-knit. Very much a baby Beau. Jim and Ea visiting from New Ro. (2462 views) | | | Tasted by ken-yyz on 3/1/2015 & rated 90 points: Holding very nicely. Bright ruby in colour with modest cherry, spice and leather aroma. Mid weight with more cherry and earth notes. It really does come off as a baby Beaucastel. (3071 views) | | | Tasted by thomaskeil on 12/24/2014 & rated 91 points: PnP. Experience tonight matched my note from 6 years ago (amazingly). Perhaps a a bit less tannins as this has lost any CdR rusticity. Still with plenty of cherry-driven fruit and nice secondaries, mineral and acid. (2710 views) | | | Tasted by hogsheadwine on 7/2/2014 & rated 89 points: The nose was sweaty with a hint of band-aid. In the mouth there were nice, firm red fruit flavors that were dry and had weight. There was a tart red finish with lip-smacking orange citrus. With air it became a touch rough in the back of the throat. Though leaner in flavor it took on added complexity from minerals and black fruit. A tart vein continued to run through it. (3367 views) | | | Tasted by Loren Sonkin on 6/6/2014 & rated 91 points: Pop and Pour. Ruby/purple, clear and bright. The nose is really nice with a bit of warm earth with just the slightest funk on it. Also some cherries and leather. On the palate, there is a nice cherry flavor with lots of complexity. Earthy. No tannins left. This seems to be at peak for me and just a beautiful aged bottle. I have a couple left which I will drink in the next year or so. Nice to age a not too expensive wine and have it show so well. A glass left in the bottle for the next day showed lots of oxidation. (3332 views) | | | Tasted by pbaek on 2/28/2014: Another good bottle. A wine that's still fairly young showing brown fruit and spices. Also, clearly a bit polished and clean lacking a bit of that rugged, wild style Beaucastel produced up to the mid 90s. This has more in the tank, no hurry to drink up at all. (3661 views) | | | Tasted by Billigan on 8/30/2013 & rated 90 points: Unmistakeable Beaucastel aromas of barnyard funk, dates, herbs, smoke, and a little cola. Tannins were integrated and lots of food-friendly acidity make it easy to drink. Its profile mirrored that of a mature Beaucastel CdP but without the concentration and depth of the first wine. Ready to drink anytime and preferably with dinner. (4603 views) | | | Tasted by Tfaure on 6/26/2013 & rated 94 points: Excellent. Still full of life (4552 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Château de Beaucastel Producer website - Read more about Beaucastel
| An interesting podcast interview with Marc Perrin |
The Wine Doctor on Chateau Beaucastel |
Perrin & Fils Blog on Chateau BeaucastelRed Rhone Blend Read about the different grapes used to produce red and white Rhone wines
On CellarTracker, Red Rhone Blend is the term for a wine consisting of two or more of the traditional 13 Southern Rhone grape varieties. Typically it's the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre or Cinsault grapes, but can also contain the Muscardin, Counoise, Clairette, Bourboulenc, Picpoul, Roussanne, Terret Noir, Picardan or Vaccarese grapes.
A 'food' wine. Lacking pretension and intended for local consumption with local cuisine. Lacks the 'high' notes on a Bordeaux, more earthy and sharper so often a better partner to meat dishes with a sauce. Coudoulet de Beaucastel Producer website
__Coudoulet de Beaucastel Red__
Château de Beaucastel is located five kilometres south-east of Orange at the northern limit of the Châteauneuf du Pape appellation. The 30 hectares Coudoulet de Beaucastel vineyard lies just to the east of Beaucastel on the other side of the A7 autoroute. For reasons that will become evident, it is often referred to as a baby Beaucastel. When one looks at the geology of the soil at Coudoulet, the similarities with the soil at Beaucastel are legion. It is composed of a layer of marine limestone from the Miocene period, covered by a deposit of alpine diluvium. This blanket of rounded stones (or "galets") contributes much to the wines of Beaucastel: they retain the intense heat of the Mediterranean sun during the day then slowly disperse it to the vines during the night. They provide a head start to the vines in springtime. During the long Mediterranean summer, lack of water can stress the vineyard at times.
However, the resistance built into Beaucastel's vine stock from 30 years of continuous organic culture allows the vineyard to come through periods of drought with few problems. Because the soil is porous and aerated, the vineyards at Beaucastel have developed root systems that penetrate deep into the earth in their search for water.
Coudoulet, as Beaucastel, owes its ability to age to the high proportion of Mourvedre - about 30% - that makes up the final cuvée. This provides a tannic backbone and resistance to oxidation that ensures long life. In addition, Mourvedre introduces aromas of leather, tobacco, and spice to the blend. One should note also that the Beaucastel and Coudoulet vineyards are at the northern limit for growing Mourvedre, and it is well known that the best expressions of any varietal come from the cooler parts of their growing areas. The other main variety, Grenache, gives Coudoulet the rounded fullness and intense fruit that is typical of Côtes du Rhône. Syrah and Cinsault represent about 20% each and bring tannins and aromatic complexity to Coudoulet.
After careful hand harvesting, the grapes are transferred to the winery. Maceration takes place in enamel tiled vats over about 12 days before the free-run wine is taken off and a light pneumatic pressing applied. Each grape variety is kept separately until after malo-lactic fermentation, when the final blend is decided. The young wine continues to mature for about six months in large oak barrels or "foudres". In March following the vintage, the wine is fined with egg whites and bottled.
__Area of production__
Côtes du Rhône, adjoining the vineyard of Château de Beaucastel between Orange and Avignon. The Coudoulet vineyard is 30 hectares / 60 acres in size.
__Geology__
Miocene marine molasses with a layer of alpine diluvium (rounded pebbles).
__Grape varieties__
Grenache 30%, Mourvèdre 30%, Syrah 20%, Cinsault 20%.
__Vinification__
Hand picked harvest and sorted grapes which are then heated briefly to 30°C / 176°F before being cooled to 20°C / 68°F. Maceration in enamel tiled vats for twelve days. The juice is then drained off the rest pressed pneumatically.
__Maturing__
The different grape varieties, which have been vinified separately, are blended together after malo-lactic fermentation and matured for six to eight months in large oak barrels. The wine is bottled after fining with egg whites.
__Tasting notes__
Colour: bright and lively, with great depth.
Nose: red fruits.
Palate: Luscious, with hints of thyme.
France Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comRhône Guide to the wines, wineries and appellations in the Rhone Valley The Rhône Valley/Le Vins de la Vallée du Rhône (Comité Interprofession des vins AOC Côtes et vallée du Rhône)
### Wine Scholar Guild's Rhône valley vintage charts & ratings ###Southern Rhône Guide to the wines, wineries and appellations in the Southern Rhone Valley
Côtes du Rhône Côtes du Rhône (Wikipedia) |
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