Chateauneuf du Pape is located on the left bank of the Rhone, 13km north of Avignon. Famed for having thirteen permitted varieties in the blend, in reality mostly Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and Cinsault are used. The vineyards form vast terraces of red clay, often covered in large Galet stones. The best reds are deep full bodied wines with a fine nose. The small quantites of whites are also strong but with finesse.
Tasting notes: "1995 was a powerful vintage for Brunel. The Cuvee Centenaire remains a young, promising wine offering notes of licorice, cedar, vanilla, and sweet black currant/cherry fruit presented in a full-bodied, virile style. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2018." Robert Parker 94 points (Jan 2003)
Tasting notes: "The opaque ruby/purple-colored 2000 offers a profoundly sweet perfume of melted licorice, blackberries, and black cherries backed up by loads of glycerin, full body, and moderately high but sweet, well-integrated tannin. There is a seamlessness to the 2000 that makes it not only accessible early, but absolutely delicious already, and thus atypical for Beaucastel. The 1985 behaved in this manner when young, but the 2000 possesses much more stuffing and power. A brilliant Beaucastel! Anticipated maturity: 2007-2025. It is a classic blend of 30% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah, 10% Counoise, and the balance other permitted varietals." 95pts Robert Parker
Tasting notes: "Beaucastel has been on a terrific qualitative roll over the last four vintages, and the 2001 Chateauneuf du Pape (which Francois Perrin feels is similar to the 1990, although I don’t see that as of yet) is a 15,000-case blend of 30% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah, 10% Counoise, and the balance split among the other permitted varietals of the appellation. This inky/ruby/purple-colored cuvee offers a classic Beaucastel bouquet of new saddle leather, cigar smoke, roasted herbs, black truffles, underbrush, and blackberry as well as cherry fruit. It is a superb, earthy expression of this Mourvedre-dominated cuvee. Full-bodied and powerful, it will undoubtedly close down over the next several years, not to re-emerge for 7-8 years. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2025." 96pts Robert Parker
Tasting notes: "The 2003 Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape turned out as well as I could have hoped and is certainly an outstanding wine, deep ruby/purple with a tight but promising nose of black fruits, loamy, earthy notes intermixed with pepper, smoke, licorice, and dried herbs. The wine is somewhat closed in the mouth (but it had been bottled 30 days prior to my visit), has full bodied, moderately high, slightly rustic tannins, but big-impact flavors with plenty of texture, density, and purity. Give this wine 3-5 years of bottle age, and drink it over the following 20 years." 92+ pts Robert Parker
Tasting notes: Beaucastel Blanc is produced from 80% Rousanne with small amounts of Grenache blanc, Picardin, Bourboulenc and Clairette, all of which are grown without the use of chemical fertilisers, herbicides or systematic pesticides.
The wines has a lovely complex nose of acacai and peaches, with a subtle hint of hazelnuts. it is fresh yet velvety in the mouth with an exetensive engaging honey finish.
Tasting notes: In 1993, Vieux-Telegraphe was able to harvest virtually all of its crop at sugar levels that produced a wine of 14% alcohol. Now fully mature this wine is a perfect example of one of the finest estates producing a wine of great finesse in a vintage that has never been heralded as a 'great'. This wine should convert those doubters!
Tasting notes: Dense ruby, with liquorice, sweet cherry and lavender notes. This is a truly full-bodied, admirably concentrated wine with an excellently balanced finish.
Tasting notes: It is a generous Châteauneuf-du-Pape in every sense of the word : a wine of great quality, yet within everyone’s means. Its universal character makes it a math for a wide range of dishes. Its convivial nature would have charmed even the Popes.
The succulent, Provencal 2006 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Olivets possesses loads of black cherry fruit, spice, and garrigue, a roasted meatiness, and firmer tannins than in 2007. 90pts (RP)
