TN: 01 Beaucastel

[alan weinberg]

simply gorgeous. Feral meaty nose with dark fruits and fennel, silky soft layered texture that reminds me of Burgundy, but the taste is definitely Rhone. Long smooth finish, tannins soft and resolved. With cassoulet.

[Warren Taranow]

Alan,
Great pairing. My last ‘01 Beau worried me a little, although I loved the wine most of the last 15 years. I found a barbecue sauce note I didn’t like. I was worried as the same thing happened to the ‘98s which were awesome for so long then became undrinkable to me. I have a few more 2001’s and will open one with the right meal. 2001 was the best vintage of that decade for CdP, IMO.
Cheers
Warren

[Barry L i p t o n]

Warren,

Same concern over the last 2 bottles and similar feelings re a 98 comparison. I had chalked the 98 to be the heavy Grenache, which isn’t traditional and should not be there to the same degree with the 01.

Thanks for the note Alan, it gives me hope.

[J B a s k a m]

Great note and very pleased how well it showed. I think I will open one next weekend. Thank you, Alan.

[David Glasser]

Great note on a great wine. Drank my last bottle last month with the same results.

[jordan jacobs]

Thanks Alan. Very good to know.

[Larry Link]

Great note Alan, I echo your comments on the texture from my note 5 years ago:

3/17/2016 rated 93 points: This is in a good place tonight, my favorite wine of the tasting. The nose is starting to show secondary aromas, some dried fruits, plums and blackberry. The palate is rich and velvety with a lovely texture that lingers on your palate and makes that next sip irresistible.

I’ve always loved this Beaucastel and purchased 2 six packs and 2 magnums. Down to my last 4 bottles and 1 magnum, but it doesn’t sound like I should be in a hurry to consume them.

[timmy roos]

What is the best window for most beaucastels? Is it best drunk young or does the 10+ year tertiary magic worth the wait?

[David Glasser]

The wait is worth it.

[John Kight]

What is the best window for most beaucastels? Is it best drunk young or does the 10+ year tertiary magic worth the wait?

Very much individual preference. However, for me, Beaucastel (unlike most CdP) is better 15+ years from the vintage. There are a few others (like Vieux Telegraphe) that I think really NEED age to enjoy. By contrast (and again, subject to personal preference for tertiary vs. primary flavors), I think many of the classic "board favorite" CdPs (Pegau, Vieux Donjon, Charvin, Clos des Papes), can be enjoyed over a wide range of time, although they can certainly go through positive and negative phases of evolution.

[Paul Jaouen]

I opened a case last year. 7 down and 5 to go out of this case. All 7 have been a delight. Although sometimes I do miss the older bretty version of beaucastel.

[Jonathan Loesberg]

What is the best window for most beaucastels? Is it best drunk young or does the 10+ year tertiary magic worth the wait?

Back when Beaucastel gave tastings at the domaine, they would typically taste wines that were ten years old and twenty years old to show how they aged. I've been on numbers of these tours and experience this with different vintages (though for aged wines, none after the mid nineties). The experience was revelatory. Only after 10 years old did you even start to get secondary flavors. By age 20, the wines became unbelievably more complex.While the wines taste good young, I would try not to touch them before they are 10 years old, Get your hands on one that is 20, and you'll want to hold onto them even longer.

[Mike Cohen]

What is the best window for most beaucastels? Is it best drunk young or does the 10+ year tertiary magic worth the wait?

Back when Beaucastel gave tastings at the domaine, they would typically taste wines that were ten years old and twenty years old to show how they aged. I've been on numbers of these tours and experience this with different vintages (though for aged wines, none after the mid nineties). The experience was revelatory. Only after 10 years old did you even start to get secondary flavors. By age 20, the wines became unbelievably more complex.While the wines taste good young, I would try not to touch them before they are 10 years old, Get your hands on one that is 20, and you'll want to hold onto them even longer.

I really haven't had many vintages of Beaucastel after 2001, but I can't recall ever having a bottle of Beaucastel of any vintage that I thought was over the hill. I believe oldest I've tried was a 1966. That must have been consumed around 2000-2003

[Barry L i p t o n]

What is the best window for most beaucastels? Is it best drunk young or does the 10+ year tertiary magic worth the wait?

For me, wait except for 98 which due to its atypical Grenache proportions (high), didn’t ever get the complexity upon maturity one hopes for, at least I didn’t.

[Paul Jaouen]

What is the best window for most beaucastels? Is it best drunk young or does the 10+ year tertiary magic worth the wait?

For me, wait except for 98 which due to its atypical Grenache proportions (high), didn’t ever get the complexity upon maturity one hopes for, at least I didn’t.

Agreed. I ended up selling my '98s.

[G. Greenbaum]

Warren,

Same concern over the last 2 bottles and similar feelings re a 98 comparison. I had chalked the 98 to be the heavy Grenache, which isn’t traditional and should not be there to the same degree with the 01.

Thanks for the note Alan, it gives me hope.

Not to mention the high temps in '98 and many wines showing the roasted/stewed fruits.

[Drew Goin]

Thanks for the tasting note, Alan!!

Of course, all of my experiences with the 2001 Beaucastel, as well as the '98 & '03 vintages ('02 was labeled as simply Famille Perrin) were at much younger ages.

[Peter Hirsch]

Got a case of the 'Hommage' in the back of the cellar, 2001, that keeps calling to me. Maybe this thread will be the impetus to bust the first cork...

[Larry Link]

What is the best window for most beaucastels? Is it best drunk young or does the 10+ year tertiary magic worth the wait?

I like to wait 10 years before opening, as I find the young wines are kind of “grapey” and primary. They seem to evolve positively for many years, but I don’t have much experience with Pre 1995 vintages.

[Adam Mintz]

For these older Beaucastels are you drinking them out of 750ml or magnums? If 750mls, did you buy them on secondary market?

On some of the older CDPs that I've bought that are late 90s or early 2000s, I've had some hit or miss if they came from 750ml bottles.

[Larry Link]

For these older Beaucastels are you drinking them out of 750ml or magnums? If 750mls, did you buy them on secondary market?

On some of the older CDPs that I've bought that are late 90s or early 2000s, I've had some hit or miss if they came from 750ml bottles.

I was buying on release from a retailer who sourced through Vineyard Brands, one of the West Coast US importers. My typical buy was a 6-pack in wood, but I bought a few magnums along the way from the same source. No issues with provenance, and I have not purchased on the secondary market or auction market.

[Jonathan Loesberg]

For these older Beaucastels are you drinking them out of 750ml or magnums? If 750mls, did you buy them on secondary market?

On some of the older CDPs that I've bought that are late 90s or early 2000s, I've had some hit or miss if they came from 750ml bottles.

I have never bought except on arrival and only 750s.. Back in the 80s and early 90s, that, unfortunately, did not protect you since Beaucastel was frequently shipped in the summer without heat protection. I believe that has no longer been the case for some time. But bottles that had escaped heat damage, if well stored, always lasted years and years. Yes, many CdPs from the 90s are over the hill. Not all CdPs age. But Beaucastel is one that does.

[Charlie Carnes]

What is the best window for most beaucastels? Is it best drunk young or does the 10+ year tertiary magic worth the wait?

The 1989 I drank midway through 2020 was simply amazing, with tons of life. Same for 2001. They will go the distance and add complexity for decades.

[Adam Mintz]

For these older Beaucastels are you drinking them out of 750ml or magnums? If 750mls, did you buy them on secondary market?

On some of the older CDPs that I've bought that are late 90s or early 2000s, I've had some hit or miss if they came from 750ml bottles.

I have never bought except on arrival and only 750s.. Back in the 80s and early 90s, that, unfortunately, did not protect you since Beaucastel was frequently shipped in the summer without heat protection. I believe that has no longer been the case for some time. But bottles that had escaped heat damage, if well stored, always lasted years and years. Yes, many CdPs from the 90s are over the hill. Not all CdPs age. But Beaucastel is one that does.

So sounds like the trick is to get the 750ml upon release and store them in a cellar. Secondary market can be tricky.

Any other producers besides Beaucastel that you think can age well? Do you think Beaucastels age well because they use more grape varietals in their blends than others?

[Craig G]

What is the best window for most beaucastels? Is it best drunk young or does the 10+ year tertiary magic worth the wait?

It’s worth it, though many vintages drink really well young. The 89 and 90 have been great in recent years, and I recently had an 85 that I expected might be tiring, and it was even better than I remembered it, very close to the level of 88/90.

To my taste, the 2001 hasn’t reached that level yet. It was the most promising young Beaucastel I tasted between the 1989 and the 2010.

[Adam Mintz]

Speaking of Beaucastel, I used WineAccess' new notification feature and saw that they got more 2006 Beaucastel in. They have it at $99, but you can find a 20% off coupon code on the boards.

Ordered this earlier last year and it was in a great place. Only decanted for 30 minutes and developed nicely throughout the meal.

Not sure how many they have left, but here's the link: https://www.wineaccess.com/catalog/2006 ... 2958b6f2d/

It's not a referral link, don't care about earning credits-- just want others who enjoy Beaucastel to grab an aged one in great condition.

[Jonathan Loesberg]

For these older Beaucastels are you drinking them out of 750ml or magnums? If 750mls, did you buy them on secondary market?

On some of the older CDPs that I've bought that are late 90s or early 2000s, I've had some hit or miss if they came from 750ml bottles.

I have never bought except on arrival and only 750s.. Back in the 80s and early 90s, that, unfortunately, did not protect you since Beaucastel was frequently shipped in the summer without heat protection. I believe that has no longer been the case for some time. But bottles that had escaped heat damage, if well stored, always lasted years and years. Yes, many CdPs from the 90s are over the hill. Not all CdPs age. But Beaucastel is one that does.

So sounds like the trick is to get the 750ml upon release and store them in a cellar. Secondary market can be tricky.

Any other producers besides Beaucastel that you think can age well? Do you think Beaucastels age well because they use more grape varietals in their blends than others?

Other CdPs that are long agers are Pegau, Vieux Telegraphe, Charvin and really, at least a couple of handfuls of others. I would say that the large proportion of Mourvedre in Beaucastel (which is a variety, not a varietal, by the way) might have some influence on how it ages. But Rayas, for example, which is 100% Grenache is known to age for many years. If you know why one wine ages and another does not, you are one up on me.

[Adam Mintz]

I have never bought except on arrival and only 750s.. Back in the 80s and early 90s, that, unfortunately, did not protect you since Beaucastel was frequently shipped in the summer without heat protection. I believe that has no longer been the case for some time. But bottles that had escaped heat damage, if well stored, always lasted years and years. Yes, many CdPs from the 90s are over the hill. Not all CdPs age. But Beaucastel is one that does.

So sounds like the trick is to get the 750ml upon release and store them in a cellar. Secondary market can be tricky.

Any other producers besides Beaucastel that you think can age well? Do you think Beaucastels age well because they use more grape varietals in their blends than others?

Other CdPs that are long agers are Pegau, Vieux Telegraphe, Charvin and really, at least a couple of handfuls of others. I would say that the large proportion of Mourvedre in Beaucastel (which is a variety, not a varietal, by the way) might have some influence on how it ages. But Rayas, for example, which is 100% Grenache is known to age for many years. If you know why one wine ages and another does not, you are one up on me.

Good to know about Pegau and Vieux Telegraphe. I have some bottles of the '16 vintage for them so guess I"ll look for some older vintages to get a sense for how they age and taste. I was just speculating if the different grape varieties in Beaucastel have an impact-- so who knows?

Wonder if we have a resident Southern Rhone expert on the forums who can chime in on this.

[William Segui]

There was a huge drop of Beaucastel on Winebid 18-24 months ago. Lots of 01 regular & Hommage for a relative steal. Fantastic provenance, wish I would have bought a lot more.