2021 Chateau Beaucastel ‘Coudoulet de Beaucastel’

2021 Chateau Beaucastel ‘Coudoulet de Beaucastel’

2021 Chateau Beaucastel ‘Coudoulet de Beaucastel’ Superb deep-ruby red color with purple reflections. The nose reveals a beautiful freshness and a seductive aromatic bouquet combining notes of red fruit, spices and white pepper with a hint of perfectly integrated toasted vanilla. Full bodied, greedy, very soft, the palate presents a very nice balance with freshness and aromas of black cherry jam. The finish is long with a beautiful aromatic intensity and velvety tannins. A wine of great elegance with good aging potential. Winemaker

A terrific vintage for this wine, which was bottled just a couple of weeks prior to my late June visit, the 2021 Cotes du Rhone Coudoulet de Beaucastel is a blend of 30% each Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah, plus 10% Cinsault. From a vineyard just outside the boundaries of the appellation of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, it’s a remarkably consistent wine and always a solid value. Scents of sunbaked stones, black cherries and licorice appear on the nose, joined by hints of purple raspberries and dark chocolate, while the medium to full-bodied palate is lush and velvety, finishing long and complex. 92pts Parker’s WA

One of the greatest producers of Chateauneuf du Pape is Chateau Beaucastel. Beaucastel is one of the benchmark Chateauneuf du Pape properties. This wine has proven itself in the tasting rooms, in the ratings it receives, in the cellar with its ability to age and its collectability.

Beaucastel can date its history back to 1549 in Chateauneuf du Pape when Pierre Beaucastel bought land there. The land was transferred to so-in-law Pierre Perrin and the now famous Perrin wine family has been in control ever since, building Beaucastel into what it is today. Beaucastel, like all great wine estates is located on a unique terroir, situated in the far, north east of Chateauneuf du Pape in Coudoulet. The terroir consist of sandstone that is covered by a massive array of multi colored rocks, stone and limestone soil. The rocks reflect the sunlight and hold in the heat from the sun. The heat transfers to the vines at night. The terroir at Beaucastel also affords natural drainage. Another key component to Beaucastel and much of Chateauneuf du Pape is the wind known as the Mistral, which keeps the air clean and the terroir dry. This is a reference point estate! Parkers calls  Beaucastel, “One of the great estates of the Rhone Valley.”

The French Government decided to build a new highway, the A7. This highway ran through a portion of Chateau Beaucastel’s Chateauneuf du Pape vineyards. The French authorities decided to make the highway the outer border of the Chateauneuf du Pape Appellation and Beaucastel was forced to de-classify a portion of their famous vineyard that was no longer in the appellation. The “de-classed Châteauneuf du Pape is called ‘Coudoulet de Beaucastel’ and today we bring you the superb 2021 Coudoulet de Beaucastel an absolutely amazing buy. The 2021 Beaucastel Chateauneuf  is selling for $90 to $130 a bottle. You can have the 2021 Coudoulet de Beaucastel for $32.99. This truly is a smart buy if I ever saw one!