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Date Printed: 1/9/2009
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(search item no. 89759)
organic wine
collectible wine
Wine Spectator rating: 96 points
The Wine Advocate rating: 93 points
PRICE ON 1/9/2009: $99.00

ratings pedigree (past vintages):
2006 The Wine Advocate rating: 95 points
2005 Wine Spectator rating: 96 points
2005 The Wine Advocate rating: 94 points
2003 Wine Enthusiast rating: 95 points
2003 Wine Spectator rating: 94 points
2003 International Wine Cellar rating: 93 points
2003 The Wine Advocate rating: 92 points
2003 Wine & Spirits rating: 91 points
2001 The Wine Advocate rating: 96 points
2001 Wine Spectator rating: 91 points
2000 The Wine Advocate rating: 94 points
2000 International Wine Cellar rating: 93 points
1999 International Wine Cellar rating: 92 points
1999 The Wine Advocate rating: 91 points
1998 Wine Spectator rating: 94 points
1998 International Wine Cellar rating: 93 points

Winemaker's Notes:

 The vineyard is a patchwork of all 13 permitted grape varieties, 70 hectares in all. The soil is the same porous, aerated blanket of Alpine diluvium (rounded stones) on a base of Miocene marine limestone that exists elsewhere on the estate. The vines are on average 50 years old and yields are never more than 30 hectolitres per hectare and often much less. It is a vibrant and healthy vineyard due to years of organic cultivation and close monitoring of the needs of each vine.

The red wine of Beaucastel as with Coudoulet de Beaucastel is a structured, intense yet lean drink, thanks in part to the large percentage of Mourvedre - about 30% - in the final cuvée. Its austere tannic backbone and resistant to oxidation help Beaucastel age gracefully.

"One of the great successes of the vintage and certainly better than their 2003 is Beaucastel’s 2004 Chateauneuf du Pape. Deep ruby/purple in color with loads of licorice, smoked game, black cherry and blackberry fruit, along with incense and truffle, the wine has fabulous richness, high tannin, medium to full body, and beautiful length, richness, and purity. This is a beauty and one of the vintage’s finest wines. Give it 4-6 years of bottle age and drink it over the next 25+ years. It has the potential to be one of the longest-lived Chateauneuf du Papes of the vintage."
Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate

"Ruby-red. Powerful red and dark berry aromas verge on liqueur-like but are enlivened by zesty mineral and anise accents. Lush, supple and sweet, with deep raspberry and cherry flavors, fine-grained tannins and complicating herb and smoked meat tones. Very smooth on the finish, which is sappy, deep in cherry flavor and impressively long."
-International Wine Cellar
My Notes:

Additional wines from Ch. de Beaucastel:

About Ch. de Beaucastel:

 In 1549, "Noble Pierre de Beaucastel" bought "a barn with its land holdings, containing 25 saumées at Coudoulet". More than four centuries later, this remarkable domaine, known today as Château de Beaucastel, is producing what most people acknowledge to be the finest wines of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

In 1903, a young chemical engineer and mathematics professor named Pierre Perrin, together with his father-in-law, began to restore the domaine following the ravages of phylloxera. His son, Jacques Perrin, took over the domaine in 1953 and introduced many innovations such as improved grape varietals, integrated pest control, and a flash-heat exchanger.

Today, the third and fourth generations of Perrins, François and Jean-Pierre and Jean-Pierre's sons Pierre, Marc and Thomas, continue in the tradition of their father and grandfather. The vineyards of Beaucastel are treated as a garden: no chemical fertilizer, no chemical week killers or sprays are permitted. Organic fertilizer comes from compost and only a minimum of traditional sulphur-copper spray is used in the vineyards.

The vineyards are planted in all the traditional grapes of Châteauneuf-du-Pape: Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah, Cinsault, Vaccarese, Counoise, Terret Noir, Muscardin, Clairette, Picpoul, Picardin, Bourboulenc, Roussanne.