Château de Beaucastel - Coudoulet de Beaucastel rouge 2018

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 business! Situated on 100 hectares of rounded pebble soil, including 30 hectares in the Côtes du Rhône (Coudoulet de Beaucastel), Château Beaucastel produces four wines. Among the whites are 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 was a strategic choice in 2018 and helped achieve the finesse and freshness characteristic of Beaucastel. This is undoubtedly one of the finest wine estates in France, and, in our opinion, it has shown even greater purity in recent years.

Decanter

About the wine:

Deep, dark color; the fruit is equally dense on the palate. Very well-balanced, with dense, deep, and pronounced tannins. The Mourvèdre really stands out this year—intense Damascus plum and licorice on the long finish. A good choice.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the wine:

Tasted as a sample drawn from several large oak casks, the 2018 Côtes du Rhône Coudoulet de Beaucastel offers aromas of sun-warmed stones and ripe raspberries. Medium-bodied to full-bodied, it is sumptuous and approachable, already delivering great pleasure, with a lively, long finish.

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 pride itself on 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 cuvées that have shaken up the appellation’s hierarchy. Certainly, the extremely rare and remarkable “Hommage à Jacques Perrin” cuvée—made predominantly from 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 effective 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.

Jeb Dunnuck

About the wine:

From a vineyard plot facing the A7 highway, on the northern edge of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and not far from the estate, the 2018 Coudoulet de Beaucastel offers a lovely, medium- to full-bodied, and elegant profile—an excellent introduction to the 2018 vintage. Complex notes of garrigue, peppery spices, and black fruits emerge from this nuanced and balanced cuvée, which is ready to enjoy right from the start.