1999 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape

The 1999 vintage of Château de Beaucastel is a wine of indifferent reputation, as it falls between the very hyped (and far riper) years of 1998 and 2000, but to my palate, this is the superior wine, as it is quite classical in profile and does not have to contend with the higher alcohol levels of its two flanking vintages. The bouquet at age twenty is beautifully complex, wafting from the glass in that signature Beaucastel blend of cassis, fruitcake, pepper, bonfires, a fine base of stony soil tones, hung game, balsam bough and the very first vestiges of the sous bois to come with further evolution in bottle. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and complex, with a fine core of fruit, excellent soil signature, still a touch of backend tannin and lovely length and grip on the well-balanced finish. This is a sleeper vintage of Beaucastel that is starting to drink very well indeed, but still has decades of life ahead of it.