Château de Beaucastel - Coudoulet de Beaucastel rouge 2018

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 domains vineyards, with, it seems to us, an added purity in recent years.

Decanter

About the wine:

Dark, dense color, dense fruit on the palate. Very well balanced, with dense, deep, pronounced tannins. The Mourvèdre is making a name for itself this year - intense Damascus plum and licorice on the long finish. A good choice.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the wine:

Tasted as a sample from several foudres, the 2018 Côtes du Rhône Coudoulet de Beaucastel exudes scents of sun-warmed stone and ripe raspberries. Medium- to full-bodied, it's sumptuous and approachable, already giving plenty of pleasure, and a lively, long finish.

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. This is 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 others domains that have reached, or even surpassed, its level.

Jeb Dunnuck

About the wine:

From a parcel facing the A7 freeway, on the northern edge of Châteauneuf du Pape and not far from the estate, the 2018 Coudoulet de Beaucastel offers a lovely, medium to full-bodied, elegant profile, an excellent introduction to the 2018 vintage. Complex notes of garrigue, peppery spices and black fruits emerge from this nuanced, well-balanced cuvée, which tastes great straight from the bottle.