Winemaker Notes
Pair with braised meats, herbed steaks and venison.
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
The Perrins pull this wine from the galet-covered vineyards that lay just the other side of the A7 from their vines at Beaucastel. Perhaps that’s why it’s hard to tell this apart from a Châteauneuf. The texture is sleek and juicy, the tannins long and smooth under the earthy cherry flavors while smoky notes of oak lend the wine a sense of opulence. It’s firm and dense with flavor, ready now but also structured to age well for ten years in the cellar.
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Jeb Dunnuck
A blend of 40% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre, and the rest Syrah and Cinsault, the 2015 Coudoulet De Beaucastel Rouge is a ripe, rounded, supple, sexy wine that offers tons of blackberry fruit, peppery herbs, violet, and tapenade aromas and flavors. Full-bodied, silky, polished and elegant, with sweet tannin and awesome purity, it's one of the strongest vintages I can remember from this estate.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Perennially one of the best Côtes du Rhône on the market, the Perrins have hit the mark again with their 2015 Cotes du Rhone Coudoulet de Beaucastel. So complex, lush and rich, it can compete with many producers' Châteauneufs, this vintage reveals dark fruit, hints of cola, cinnamon and allspice and a long, slightly warm finish.
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Wine Spectator
Alluring, with warm raspberry and boysenberry confiture notes gliding along, carried by a well-embedded graphite edge and backed by warm fruitcake and dark tea accents on the finish. Drink now through 2025.
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Decanter
Refined in style and substance, this has berry warmth, a touch of raisin and a perk of florals. It is quite firm but has a lovely depth and a long finish. Drinking Window 2017 - 2022
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
Typically thought of as a baby Chateâuneuf-du-Pape, the term Côtes du Rhône actually doesn’t merely apply to the flatter outskirts of the major southern Rhône appellations, it also includes the fringes of well-respected northern Rhône appellations. White wines can be produced under the appellation name, but very little is actually made.
The region offers some of the best values in France and even some first-rate and age-worthy reds. Red wine varieties include most of the Chateâuneuf-du-Pape varieties like Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault, and Counoise, as well as Carignan. White grapes grown include Grenache blanc, Roussanne and Viognier, among others.