Domaine des Bernardins - Beaumes-de-Venise 2023 (sec)

Bettane & Desseauve

About the domain :

The estate owes its name to the Bernardine monks who once owned it. Run by the Castaud family for five generations, the vines (23 hectares, the majority of which are white grape varieties) are planted on hillsides on the southern slopes of the Dentelles de Montmirail, in a sumptuous landscape. It's unfortunate that the estate is one of the last defenders of Muscat, even though it's a top-quality product here.

Decanter

About the wine:

Smoked bacon, bay leaf and olive brine. This is a very fine wine for a whole bunch, with lovely tannic finesse and texture. Powerful, tannic and cleansing, yet compact, with powerful acidity, a dry, savory finish and perfect balance. A good vintage for this Southern Rhône wine, which always offers good value for money. Vineyards in the process of converting to organic farming; fruit fermented in whole bunches.

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the domain :

This estate embraces a traditional vision of wine, without excessive technology or modernism. It's hardly surprising, then, that the muscats à petits grains produce a nectar with unrivalled texture and a richness of liqueur equivalent to that of the greatest Sauternes. Domaine des Bernardins, renowned for the quality of its magnificent beaumes-de-venise muscats, also produces a very pretty red with a strong personality that delights us. Romain Hall has been vinifying with his father since 2007. Although red represents 30% of production, it has always been present, with the oldest recorded vintage dating back to 1847. The estate vinifies whole bunches of black grapes, to which 10% white grapes are added during blending. According to Romain, white plays an important role in adding body. The wines are highly aromatic, and while for a long time they were a little fiery in their youth, the latest vintages are much wiser, precise and masterfully graceful, always ready to evolve over time. Above all, this estate produces stunning Muscats that are a delight to drink young. But with age, ten years, twenty years and more, they acquire incredible complexity.

Wine Enthusiast

Jancis Robinson

About the wine:

The nose shows ripe red fruit and a hint of floral character. A defined, smooth palate brimming with ripe red fruit, such energy and vivacity mark this wine - a freshness that really cleanses the palate and cuts through the heart. Long, fine and structured, delicious.

James Suckling

About the wine:

A succulent, juicy, pure red wine with aromas of wild berries, cherries, blood oranges, baking spices and a touch of leather. Medium-bodied, with fine tannins. Lively and full-bodied, with delicious bitter orange character on the lingering finish. For drinking or cellaring.