CHATEAU DE BEAUCASTEL, CHATEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE ROUGE 2019
| Grapes: | 30% Grenache 30% Mourvèdre 15% Syrah 10% Counoise 5% Cinsault 2% Terret 2% Vaccarèse 1% Clairette 1% Bourboulenc 1% Muscardin |
| Vineyard: | Château de Beaucastel |
| Origin: | Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhône, France |
| Vintage: | 2019 |
| ABV%: | 14.5% |
| Colour: | Vibrant ruby red |
| Aromas: | Aromas of blackberry, garrigue and black olive |
| Flavours: | On the palate, it has a lively acidity with delicate notes of ripe red fruit, liquorice, and pepper. Well structured soft tannins support this rich wine through to a smooth lingering finish. |
Château de Beaucastel owns 110 hectares of vineyards in the north of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation, where they grow all 13 grape varieties authorised by the appellation rules. The vines are farmed organically and are on average 50-years-old. They are planted on pudding stone soils, which are traditional to the Southern Rhône. These stones retain heat from the day and keep the vines warm at night, helping to ripen the grapes. The sub-soils are made up of sand, clay and limestone.
Winemaker's Highlights
The Vintage:
An exceptional vintage in Southern Rhône. After an early budburst at the beginning of April, a gradual flowering in favourable conditions followed. Temperatures soared in late June but the vines fared well, aided by chamomile infusions that were sprayed on the plants to cope with the heat and reduce water stress. By harvest all varietals had matured beautifully, displaying rich fruit characters balanced by vibrant acidity.
Vinification:
Each grape variety was hand harvested and vinified separately. The Mourvedre and Syrah were vinified in oak barrels, while the others were vinified in traditional tiled cement tanks. At the end of malolactic fermentation, all varieties were blended and the wine aged in large oak casks (foudres) for 12 months before it was bottled.