Château de Beaucastel - Chateauneuf-du-Pape 'Oenothèque' 2016

Château de Beaucastel is a magical place, surrounded by hills planted with vines, hundred-year-old olive trees and truffle oaks. Here nature is blooming, liberated and at ease. Ancient vines with knotted roots are nurtured in the traditional "gobelet" style in the soil typical of the region, laden with large round pebbles. When the Mistral blows - the legendary wind from the Alps - it whistles down the Rhône Valley cooling the vines and revealing aromas of Garrigue. It has the Southern accent of those who live here at one with the Mediterranean climate. It's on these ancestral soils, supporting the 13 grape varieties of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, that each new vintage of Beaucastel is born.

The 2016 vintage in the Southern Rhone valley is exceptional, both in terms of quality and quantity, thanks to idyllic weather conditions that protected the region from climatic accidents throughout the whole year.

Each variety is harvested manually and separately, then sorted in the cellar. The harvest is heated to 80°C (skins) and then cooled down to 20°C. Classic maceration occurs in cement tanks for 12 days. Pressing in pneumatic presses. Blending of the different varietals after malolactic fermentation. Ageing in Oak Foudres for 6 months.

Beautiful ruby-red color. A fresh nose with delicious notes of chocolate. Full-bodied and fruity, the palate combines fine tannins that extend into a lingering, expressive finish.

"This is a stunning Beaucastel. A classic! Has a superb array of fruit, ranging from red, through to blue, darker purple and black. Nuances of dark, stony minerals, spices, wild flowers and herbs. So fleshy. This has impeccable balance, super-silky tannins and an extraordinarily long finish. This has decades ahead of it. Drink or hold." - 99 Points, James Suckling

"Bottled only a week before my visit, I was blown away by how well Beaucastel's 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape was showing. It's full-bodied, creamy, lush and rich, with layers of raspberry fruit, garrigue and spice that unfold across a seamless palate. No doubt it will go through cycles of being open and closed throughout its lifespan, but it would be a mistake to simply order a case, put it into storage and forget about it without trying one first and swooning over the sheer lusciousness and youthful complexity." - 97 Points, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

"Being bottled the day of my visit, the 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape checks in as a blend of 30% Mourvèdre, 30% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 10% Counoise, and the rest a mix of permitted varieties. It offers a ripe, sexy, rounded style that quickly shows more structure, minerality, and tannin with time in the glass. Blackberries, blueberries, smoked earth, violets, and garrigue all give way to a full-bodied, deep, structured Beaucastel that's going to benefit from 5-7 years of bottle age and keep for two decades. It reminds me of the 2001." - 96+ Points, Jeb Dunnuck

Producer: Château de Beaucastel

Country: France

Region: Rhone

Varietal: Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah, Counoise, Cinsault

Appellation: Chateauneuf-du-Pape

Vintage: 2016

Size: 750ml