The 2005 Beaucastel was the winning bottle in the April Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. I did not decant the wine and it was served with grilled New York Strips, roasted asparagus and roasted Yukon Gold potatoes.
Chateau de Beaucastel, located in Courthezon in the Southern Rhone Valley, has over 250 acres of organic vineyards. Unlike many Rhone Valley producers, Beaucastel grows all 13 of the grapes permitted in the appellation and the estate uses an unusually high percentage of Mourvèdre in its red wines, usually around 30%, along with 30% Grenache and smaller amounts of Syrah, Counoise, Cinsault, Vaccarese and Muscardin. The estate’s most prestigious wine, Hommage a Jacques Perrin, is made with 70% Mourvedre. Several families have owned the estate over the course of its 400-year history and the present owners are the Perrin family, whose ownership of the estate dates to 1909.
Crimson in color. 14% ABV. Stunning nose of red fruits, garrigue, roasted herbs and cracked black pepper. Medium body with perfect acidity. Rich, clean and concentrated. Kirsch, raspberry, blood, smoke and a touch of bacon fat on the palate. Exceptional length on the finish. Killer Beaucastel from a classic vintage that shows very few signs of a wine approaching 20 years old. I’ll check in on another bottle in 2027
My rating: 96 points
Current vintages of Beaucastel including the ’21 are widely available at retail and a good buy in the $100 range.