Château de Beaucastel - Châteauneuf-du-Pape blanc 2020

Bettane & Desseauve

About the estate:

Since 1909, Beaucastel has been owned by the Perrin family. Today, it is run by Jean-Pierre and François, the sons of Jacques Perrin, alongside Cécile, Marc, Pierre, Thomas, Charles, Mathieu, and César—the fifth generation. In other words: a family affair! Situated on 100 hectares of rounded pebble soil, including 30 hectares in the Côtes du Rhône (Coudoulet de Beaucastel), Château Beaucastel produces four wines. For whites, there is a classic cuvée dominated by Roussanne, and the famous Roussanne-Vieilles-Vignes cuvée. For the reds, Mourvèdre plays a major role, accounting for nearly a third of the vineyards—as much as Grenache. This unusual proportion proved strategic in 2018 and helped achieve the finesse and freshness characteristic of Beaucastel. This is undoubtedly one of the finest wine estates in France, with, in our view, an added purity in recent years.

Decanter

About the wine:

Full-bodied but not heavy, it has plenty of tension that keeps everything in check, with a brilliant streak of acidity running through it. There is real length and intensity here; it is remarkably briny this year, displaying great power and balance. 80% Roussanne, 10% Grenache Blanc and Clairette, 10% Piquepoul Blanc, Picardan, and Bourboulenc. Part of the blend was aged in two- and three-year-old barrels for one year.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the wine:

Beaucastel's 2020 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc is made from 80% Roussanne and 20% other authorized grape varieties. Honeyed notes of pear and pineapple dominate the nose, while the palate is full-bodied, rich, and succulent, yet remains vibrant, refreshing, and long on the finish. I find it delicious now and see no need to age it, even though it will undoubtedly hold up for several years.

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

About the estate:

With its unique terroir of rounded pebbles, Château de Beaucastel is one of the icons of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. This estate can boast of being one of the few to use all thirteen authorized grape varieties in the production of its red wine. A wine that consistently maintains a very high standard, though it faces competition from vintages that have shaken up the appellation’s hierarchy. Certainly, the extremely rare and remarkable Hommage à Jacques Perrin cuvée—composed largely of Mourvèdre and produced only in exceptional vintages—remains a benchmark, as does the sumptuous Roussanne Vieilles Vignes white, which reveals its full potential with age. Under the Perrin family’s capable leadership, Château de Beaucastel remains a benchmark for wines from southern France, a status it must now share with other estates that have reached, or even surpassed, its level.

James Suckling

Jeb Dunnuck

About the wine:

The 2020 Châteauneuf-du-Pape white, made from 80% Roussanne with the remainder being Grenache Blanc and Clairette, features a nose that shifts between apple blossom, melon, honeyed minerality, and spices, along with a medium- to full-bodied richness. It develops lovely green almond notes as it sits in the glass, and it is textured, balanced, and yet another brilliant white from this team.