Visit to Château de Beaucastel in Courthézon. Pierre Perrin is a friend of the gang, and we got a very warm welcome.
We were given a tour of the vast winery and cellar, including the new addition. The cellars look like something one would see in Champagne... just vast, snaking corridors lined with endless bottles on either side. The fermentation area is temperature controlled, with huge air-conditioning units to ensure proper air flow even between the fermentation tanks. The entire place just looks brand spanking new, and squeaky clean.
We tasted through 3 separate cépages with the cellar master as they were checking the progress of the 2011s. I believe each came from a separate parcel of land.
2011 Syrah - still a little pungent, minty with some fruit. The wine isn't finished since malolactic hasn't taken place. Tannins are soft and chewy.
2011 Grenache - soooo sweet like blueberry jam and Medjool dates. Long length.
2011 Mourvèdre - more like forest pine, minty. Soft tannins with good structure.
2010 Beaucastel Roussanne Vieilles Vignes - very ripe with beeswax, honey, sweet but not over ripe. Lively. A little on the lean side.
1992 Beaucastel Roussanne Vieilles Vignes - what a treat to drink something like this! Huge nose with honey, glycerin, marmalade, mineral, apricot. An awesome wine. Dry on the palate, and would be perfect with some foie gras...
2001 Beaucastel Hommage á Jacques Perrin - a little stinky, which is so typical of this wine. Farmy, ripe and rich, mint, forest. Nose was just so amazingly lovely and elegant. Perfect acidity balance at 10 years old.
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