Château de Beaucastel - Châteauneuf-du-Pape Roussanne Vieilles Vignes 2017

Bettane & Desseauve

About the domain :

Beaucastel has been owned by the Perrin family since 1909, and is now run by Jean-Pierre and François, the sons of Jacques Perrin, along with Cécile, Marc, Pierre, Thomas, Charles, Mathieu and César, the fifth generation. In other words: a family affair! Situated on a 100-hectare terroir of rolled pebbles, including 30 hectares of Côtes du Rhône (Coudoulet de Beaucastel), Château Beaucastel produces four wines. In white, a classic cuvée dominated by Roussanne, and the famous cuvée Roussanne-Vieilles-Vignes. In the reds, Mourvèdre plays a major role, accounting for almost a third of plantings, as much as Grenache. This unusual proportion was strategic in 2018, helping to achieve Beaucastel's characteristic finesse and freshness. This is undoubtedly one of France's finest wine estates, with, it seems to us, an added purity in recent years.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the wine:

As usual, the 2017 Châteauneuf du Pape Roussanne Vieilles Vignes comes from a three-hectare plot planted in 1909. It's richer, creamier and longer than Beaucastel's traditional white Châteauneuf-du-Pape, but also fresher and saltier. It looks even more impressive than the superb 2016.

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the domain :

With its distinctive terroir of rolled pebbles, Château de Beaucastel is one of the emblems of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. This estate is proud to be one of the few to use all thirteen authorized grape varieties to produce its red wine. A wine of consistently high quality, but one that faces competition from cuvées that have upset the appellation's hierarchy. Of course, the extremely rare and remarkable cuvée Hommage à Jacques Perrin, made from a large majority of Mourvèdre and produced only in the best years, remains a benchmark, as does the sumptuous white Roussanne Vieilles Vignes, which reveals itself with age. Under the efficient management of the Perrin family, Château de Beaucastel remains a benchmark for wines from the South of France, a status it must now share with other estates that have reached, or even surpassed, its level.