Wine Article

“Grenache: 30%; Mourvèdre: 30%; Vaccarèse, Terret Noir, Muscardin, Clairette, Picpoul, Picardan, Bourboulenc, & Roussanne: 15%; Counoise: 10%; Syrah: 10%; and Cinsault: 5% from 110 ha, with one single plot at the N of the appellation. The terroir is archetypal of the best terroirs in Châteauneuf: rolled pebbles on the surface, sand, clay, & limestone deeper down. The vines are old & have been organically grown for 50 yrs, which has allowed the roots to grow exceptionally deep. Beaucastel grows all 13 grape varieties authorized by the appellation. Each variety is harvested separately & manually. Vinification takes place in oak fermenters for the reductive varieties (Mourvèdre, Syrah), & in traditional enameled concrete tanks for the Oxidative grapes (all the others). Once the malolactic fermentation is finished, Famille Perrin blends the different varieties. The blend is then aged in oak foudres for a yr before being bottled.”

96 pts ea WA (Dunnuck), The Tasting Panel, & Int’l Wine Report,
95 ea WS (Molesworth) & Falstaff Magazine (Moser),
94 ea Jeff Leve + Wine & Spirits;
94, 92, & 90 winealign.com ,
93 Vinous (Raynolds),
18/20 Jancis Robinson,
17/20 Vinum,
16.5/20 Bettane et Desseauve,
4/5*™ drinkrhone.com ™[I show 5* as the max since 6* is virtually never awarded], and
Silver @ the ’15 Dan Berger's Int’l Wine Competition!