Chateauneuf-du-Pape blend
75cl * 14.5% ABV * Rhone Valley, France
When one hears 'Chateauneuf-du-Pape', one thinks of full-bodied, earthy wines with spice and weight - and yet so often we're disappointed. Not so with Chateau de Beaucastel, a family-run estate dating back to the sixteenth century at the very northern edge of the Chateauneuf appellation. Why is that important? Well, it's the part of the region most exposed to the Mistral winds, which they liken to 'nature's hairdryer', effortlessly drying the fruit after summer showers, avoiding unhealthy mildew and rot, and blowing off bugs and grubs.
The Perrin family, who have owned the chateau for coming onto five generations now, are passionate about their winemaking, so much so that each of the 13 grape varieties that make up CNDP are vinified separately, before being blended together according to the family's closely guarded secret recipe. What we can tell you, though, is that the Grenache and Cinsault provide colour, warmth, roundness while the Mourvedre, Syrah, Muscardin and Vaccarese give the wine its structure and aging ability. Counoise and Picpoul provide that final oomph to the body and palate.
Once blended, the wine spends a year in oak barrel and then a further year in bottle before leaving the winery.
~ Taurus Tasting notes from a tasting on 6th October 2021 ~
"Wow, what a wine - garrigue, herb, and blackberries dusted with black pepper on the nose. Mixed red-fruits, cassis, and more herb on the complex and sophisticated well balanced palate. Fantastic."
Drinking window 2024 - 2035+