Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes Roussanne 2017
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Parker
Robert -
Dunnuck
Jeb - Decanter
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Suckling
James
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
As always, the 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape Roussanne Vieilles Vignes comes from a three-hectare parcel planted in 1909. It's richer, creamier and longer than Beaucastel's regular white Châteauneuf-du-Pape but also fresher and brinier. It looks even more impressive than the stunning 2016. Rating: 97-99
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Jeb Dunnuck
Last of the whites, huge notes of buttered citrus, exotic flowers, pineapple, honeysuckle, and almond notes all emerge from the 2017 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Roussanne Vieilles Vignes, a rich, yet fresh, elegant, vibrant barrel sample that does everything right. You can't find a wine like this anywhere else in the world, and it’s consistently one of the world’s great white wines.Rating: 96-99
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Decanter
100+-year-old Roussanne here gives very small yields, and it's harvested around two weeks after the younger vines. This wine has notes of macadamia, mango, quince and rhubarb - a dizzying kaleidoscope of scents. It's very full-bodied indeed, almost too rich, but it pulls back from the brink with a gleaming mineral edge and adequate balancing acidity. Almost too much this year, it tastes nearly sweet on the mid-palate but finishes dry, very long and absurdly opulent. It's always an attention-grabbing wine, and some will love it all the more for its excess in 2017; some less.
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James Suckling
Sweet-smelling apples and pears, waxy lemon peel and some nicely weighted oak influence. Fleshy depth to the finish. This has concentration and richness with elegance. From a small, around 3-ha parcel of original vines, between 85 and 100-years old. Drink or hold.
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The first evidence of Château de Beaucastel as it exists today is in the sixteenth century. In 1909, Pierre Traminer bought the estate and then transferred it to his son-in-law Pierre Perrin, a scientist who further developed Beaucastel. His son, Jacques, continued his father’s efforts until 1978 and today, the torch is carried by Jacques’ sons, Jean-Pierre and François. They are joined by the fifth generation of Perrins—Marc, Pierre, Thomas, Cécile, Charles, Matthieu, and César.
The vineyards of Château de Beaucastel are located on historic land where each of the 13 approved grapes varietals of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation are planted. The art of blending these 13 grapes has been passed down from one generation to the next. Beaucastel is, first of all, a family story, the story of Famille Perrin. Their main strength is being able to blend the talents of each family member to run the wine estate under common values: absolute respect for land and terroir; biodynamic culture as a philosophy of life; and the research of truth, balance, and elegance.
Full and silky in body but also charmingly crisp, Roussanne is native to the Rhône Valley of France. It is responsible for some of the finest Northern Rhône white wines. Roussanne adds richness and acidity to Marsanne’s soft, fruitiness, making age worthy and highly respected whites. Somm Secret—Roussanne takes its name from the French word, roux, meaning rouge or red because of the berry’s pink glow. In California, virtually all of the 339 acres of Roussanne come from true clones brought over by Tablas Creek and John Alban.
Famous for its full-bodied, seductive and spicy reds with flavor and aroma characteristics reminiscent of black cherry, baked raspberry, garrigue, olive tapenade, lavender and baking spice, Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the leading sub-appellation of the southern Rhône River Valley. Large pebbles resembling river rocks, called "galets" in French, dominate most of the terrain. The stones hold heat and reflect it back up to the low-lying gobelet-trained vines. Though the galets are typical, they are not prominent in every vineyard. Chateau Rayas is the most obvious deviation with very sandy soil.
According to law, eighteen grape varieties are allowed in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and most wines are blends of some mix of these. For reds, Grenache is the star player with Mourvedre and Syrah coming typically second. Others used include Cinsault, Counoise and occasionally Muscardin, Vaccarèse, Picquepoul Noir and Terret Noir.
Only about 6-7% of wine from Châteauneuf-du-Pape is white wine. Blends and single-varietal bottlings are typically based on the soft and floral Grenache Blanc but Clairette, Bourboulenc and Roussanne are grown with some significance.
The wine of Chateauneuf-du-Pape takes its name from the relocation of the papal court to Avignon. The lore says that after moving in 1309, Pope Clément V (after whom Chateau Pape-Clément in Pessac-Léognan is named) ordered that vines were planted. But it was actually his successor, John XXII, who established the vineyards. The name however, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, translated as "the pope's new castle," didn’t really stick until the 19th century.