Ch Beaucastel CNdP

P

Peter Creasey

Peter Creasey
I buy this bottling every year and just set them aside to enjoy down the road. Likewise with this vintage. But then, I was at a trade show where they were pouring it. I was so impressed I went out and doubled my customary count.

I mentioned at a dinner to Marc Perrin that I felt it could be the best vintage I had tasted at release (if I recall correctly, he just smiled).

I couldn't resist pulling a bottle this evening to see how my initial judgement looks in retrospect. Mighty fine...

Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape '16 -- Superb color, generous fulfilling bouquet with all the right components, impressive balance, quite smooth and polished, abundance of dark fruits nicely offsetting the tannins, fine length. Delicious wine in its youth with unbounded upside potential. [E - O]

Paired excellently with sauteed liver, fried eggplant, and collard greens.

. . . . . Pete
 
Ch Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape '12 -- From a generally unheralded Rhone vintage, this wine defied any/all luke-warm 2012 vintage ratings. Beautiful bouquet, all ~13 varieties nicely integrated together as well as with the tannins, acid, edges, etc., long sustained finish, wonderful now and for the future. [E]

Paired well with lamb shoulder chops on turmeric salad.

. . . . . Pete
 
Turmeric salad? Presumably turmeric grated on top of lettuce? It's a lovely flavor, but often challenging for wine.
 
I should have thought before I described the pairing. Instead, I was still marveling over how fine the Beaucastel was. Thus I was careless.

Actually, the dish was lamb shoulder chops on top of dal (Indian spice lentils with turmeric, coriander, curry powder, fenugreek, garlic, coconut milk, etc.), all on top of a mixture of baby greens.

The dal looked similar to...



All the Beaucastel varieties managed to handle the dish quite well. (I wish I could say the same about my stomach during the night.)

. . . . . Pete
 
Ch Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape '13 -- classic Beaucastel profile. All the normal components were fully in balance so the wine was smooth and oh so approachable. Delicious and (based on this sampling) in a very good drinking place at this time.

Excellent pairing with sauteed liver and onions and grilled eggplant on a yogurt sauce. [E]

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. . . . . Pete
 
Pete,
You seem to drink a good bit of Beaucastel and almost always are effusive.
One of my close friends, for whom money is no object, prefers Beaucastel to almost any other Rhone red.
And the brand is generally well regarded in these parts of the inter webs.

But the wine seldom impresses me.
Perhaps, it’s just personal taste or that the blend includes Grenache or that GSM wines from anywhere usually aren’t my taste - aside from the 2000 Hommage, this producer is always take it or leave it for me.
Even with the lack of Brett for the last decade or so.

Of course, if you’re pouring, I’ll have a glass, but then I move on . . .
No ‘splainin’ it.
 
Jim, given your propensity against Grenache, then Beuacastel is not in your "ball park".

And, yes, Beaucastel has always been my preferred bottling of which I have had the most of over the years in my cellar. I have even managed to get friendly with Marc Perrin a few times when he has been in town. Even did a dinner for him once featuring larger format Beaucastels.

I still remember asking Marc which format he prefers. He laughed and said, "Well, when I'm drinking alone, I prefer the Magnum format."

. . . . . Pete
 
Beaucastel to me is sui generis due to its use of a high proportion of Mourvèdre (at least as of 2005, the last vintage I purchased). Even several Grenache-o-phobes of my acquaintance have been known to drink it with pleasure. Jim of course is free to dislike it for whatever reason he chooses.

Let a 1000 flowers bloom,
Mark Lipton
 
Mark, at first I thought you were being critical and then it seemed as if you were taking a positive slant.

In any case, Beaucastel has its own peculiarities so it is understandable that Jim etal might have a disinclination toward it. Fortunately for me, it rings my (and JoAnne's) chimes.

. . . . . Pete
 
Pete, I wasn’t passing judgement, just pointing out that Beaucastel, like Rayas though for opposite reasons, stands apart from the vast majority of CNdPs. Hence my misquote of Chairman Mao.

Mark Lipton
 
Ch Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape '13 -- Another terrific showing of this wonderful wine. It had a longer than intended interval after being double decanted and probably benefited from the extra time to develop. Color was maybe not as dark as expected, but all other attributes were right on...aromatics, body, fruit, backbone, balance, and staying power. Comfortably in its drinking window with lots of life left. [O]

Host thoughtfully paired it with beef tender carefully grilled (reverse sear) to a perfect medium-rare serving with sweet potatoes/spinach combo and pearl onions in champagne preparation.

Beau1.jpg
...
Beau2.jpg
. . . . . Pete
 
Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape '06 -- Lots of sediment, all the right properties, nice aromatics, customary herbs/dark fruits, desirable richness, garrigue, Mourvedre elements, good complexity with soft touch, delicious and above already high expectations in every way, still good for the long haul. [E]

Worked well with main-stream pizza.

Beau.jpg
. . . . . Pete
 
Levi, good topic.

From a google search...

Ch“teau de Beaucastel uses a unique heat treatment, often confused with flash pasteurization, called thermo-vinification or Flash Détente, heating grape skins briefly (around 80°C/176°F) to extract color/flavor faster, slow fermentation, and reduce spoilage, rather than for typical pasteurization's microbiological stability, focusing on fruit purity, especially for Grenache, and not making it mevushal (kosher cooked).
Key Details:
Process: Uncrushed grapes (skins intact) are passed through a heat exchanger, quickly heating them to around 80°C (176°F) for a short time (seconds) before rapid cooling.
Purpose: To break down grape skin cell walls, allowing for quicker extraction of color (anthocyanins) and flavor, reducing undesirable characteristics, retaining freshness, and slowing fermentation.
Not Standard Pasteurization: While it involves heat, Beaucastel's method is distinct from typical flash pasteurization (like for kosher wines or juices) that aims to kill all microorganisms for shelf stability.
Benefits: Achieves better fruit extraction and freshness, potentially reducing the need for chemical adjustments, and is often used in difficult years or for Grenache.
Controversy: Some in the wine world view it as a manipulative or unnatural process, though its supporters see it as an effective, non-chemical intervention.
In essence, Beaucastel uses this heat treatment to enhance extraction and purity rather than sterilize the wine, differentiating it from standard flash pasteurization.
Click to expand...

The apparent intention of the process at Beaucastel is to offset having/wanting to do other kinds of manipulation.

. . . . . Pete
 
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