2010 Château Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape (Pre-Arrival)
SKU #1080570
95
points
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Interestingly enough, even though many of the 2010 Perrin et Fils selections from the southern Rhone were scheduled to be bottled right after my visit, the 2010 Beaucastel had already been put in bottle. This is a gorgeous wine, a classic blend of 30% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah, 10% Counoise and the balance the other permitted varietals in the appellation. Deep purple, with loads of bouquet garni, beef blood, blackberry, kirsch, smoke and truffle, this wine is full-bodied, rich and showing even better than it did last year. I still think it needs 3-5 years of cellaring, and it should last for 25-30 years, as most of the top vintages of Beaucastel do.
(10/ 2012)
94
points
Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar
Bright ruby. Sexy, spice- and mineral-accented aromas of red and dark fruit preserves and garrigue. Juicy and expansive on the palate, offering vibrant black raspberry and bitter cherry flavors, a hint of smokiness and intense minerality. Tannins come on late and are quickly sucked up by this wine's intense fruit. Rich and lively, with excellent finishing clarity and length.
(2/ 2013)
Jancis Robinson
Tank sample, pre-assemblage. Mourvèdre was especially good in 2010, apparently. Very dense and meaty on the nose. Appetising and no shortage of flesh but no heavy sweetness or alcohol. Really quite racy! Complex. Real lift and line through it.
(10/ 2011)
Wine Spectator
The 2010 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape is just being bottled now. The sample was drawn from a tank with the final blend. Aromatically, it's the purest Beaucastel I've ever experienced, with a gorgeous beam of red currant and red cherry fruit, followed by intense lavender, bitter cherry, clove-studded blood orange, iron and sanguine notes which ripple seamlessly through the finish. This is a wine built on cut, rather than power, with the fruit persistent to the very end offset every step of the way by its minerality. It's very intense without any heaviness, with remarkable freshness and purity. It has the depth of the 2005, the cut of the 2001 and its own dimensions of purity, balance and length. It is clearly classic in quality and is easily among the elite vintages that Beaucastel has ever produced. (James Molesworth via Wine Spectator blog 6/25/2012)
(6/ 2012)
