Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre
75cl * 15.5% ABV * Côtes du Rhône, France
An historic Château in the Southern Rhône, located just to the south of Orange and owned by the Bernard family, Château Beauchêne farm 80 hectares of vines split between Châteauneuf du Pape, Côtes du Rhône Villages and Côtes du Rhône. Michel & Dominique Bernard run the Château with the help of their daughter Amandine and a team of six others in the winery and vineyards. This wine is specially blended by Michel to honour his grandmother Odette, hence the name.
Château Beauchêne have their Châteauneuf du Pape vineyards in the Mont-Redon and Courthézon sector of Châteauneuf du Pape, situated towards the north of the appellation on a distinct plateau. Here, the galet roulé boulders are at their most apparent and the vines are at their most exposed to the Mistral wind. This geographical situation tends to produce the Châteauneuf du Pape wines with the highest proportion of Grenache, due to its affinity with heat, wind and the low water table found on the plateau.
This cuvée is made from the fruit of very old vines, some of which were planted in 1903 and is only made in the very best years. It's 90% Grenache and 5% each of Mourvedre and Syrah. The wine is aged in French oak for a year to 18 months before bottling. "Hommage Odette Bernard" will mature brilliantly, bringing on aromas of truffle and saddle leather as it ages into the decades. You can drink it now too, as even when young it's rich, complex and balanced with silky tannins and aromas of cocoa and liquorice within its garnet-hued lusciousness.
Drinking window: Now - 2035