Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape (1.5 Liter Magnum) 1995

Professional Ratings

• 95 Wine Spectator
  Very youthful, with a ripe core of red currant and raspberry fruit and licorice flavor surrounded by creamy tannins. Plenty of smoke, mineral and tobacco notes chiming in, but this still has a ways to go, with plenty of grip still on the finish
• 94 Decanter
  The 1995 vintage was hot and dry, with good weather through to the end of the harvest. It's matured beautifully with 22 years now under its belt. It has a highly spiced nose of star anise, incense, raspberry and poached strawberry. It's beginning to show its age on the palate and is decidedly mellow, its alcohol starting to appear a little raised. It's full-bodied and flowing in the mouth, with good acidity and some very fine tannins still remaining. Spicy notes help maintain freshness on the finish, and although it's fraying slightly at the edges as it approaches the end of its long life, it still has pleasure to give. Time to start drinking up, but there's no immediate rush if it's been stored in good conditions.
• 93 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
  The classic 1995 Chateauneuf du Pape will require discipline. Like most top vintages of Beaucastel, a decade of patience will be warranted before this wine will be enjoyable to drink. Given how tight and closed the 1993 and 1994 are, it is the rare vintage of Beaucastel (1989, 1990, and 1995) that is accessible in its youth, yet they will remain capable of aging for 20-25 years. In some ways, proprietors Francois and Jean-Pierre Perrin might be accused of trying to make the wine too long-lived, as if this is the primary merit to a great red wine. The 1995 will have three decades of longevity, but it will not be approachable before 2006. It exhibits a deep dark ruby/purple color, and a provocative (probably controversial) aromatic profile of animal fur, tar, truffles, black cherries, cassis, licorice, and minerals. A medium to full-bodied wine, with a boatload of tannin, considerable grip and structure, and a weighty feel in the mouth, this appears to be a classic vin de garde made in the style of the 1978 Beaucastel (which is still not close to full maturity). Prospective purchasers over the age of forty should be buying this wine for their children.