Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2020
Famille Perrin (5th generation) · Château de Beaucastel, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhône, France
Beaucastel is Châteauneuf-du-Pape at its most complete. While most producers lean heavily on Grenache, the Perrins give Mourvèdre equal billing — and it shows in the wine’s structure, depth, and remarkable aging potential. The galets roulés — those iconic smooth river stones that carpet the vineyards — are more than photogenic; they store daytime heat and release it at night, pushing grapes to full phenolic ripeness. Organic since the 1950s and biodynamic since 1974, Beaucastel was farming this way decades before it was fashionable. The 2020 vintage scored 97 points from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate.
Nose
Violet, black-olive tapenade, garrigue herbs, plum cake, leather, toasted almond
Palate
Rich and deep — blue fruit, star anise, sweet spice, blackberry, fine tannins, lovely acidity
Finish
Long and chalky with stony minerality and a silky fade
- Blend
- 30% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah, 10% Counoise, 20% other permitted varieties
Cocktail Suggestion
Cocktail — Beaucastel Sangria Provençale: 1 bottle Beaucastel (or any quality CdP) · 2 oz Cognac · 1 oz crème de cassis · Sliced plums, figs, and orange · Fresh thyme sprigs · 3 oz sparkling water. Combine, chill 4 hours, serve over ice.
Food Pairing
Pair with: Slow-braised lamb shoulder with Provençal herbs and olive tapenade — a Southern French wine with a Southern French dish.
Be the first to comment.
Leave a comment
Bourgogne Rouge, Domaine de Montille
Domaine de Montille
Domaine de Montille's Bourgogne Rouge is a masterclass in what restraint can achieve at the regional level — no excess, no artifice, just transparent Pinot Noir from one of Burgundy's most principled estates. It embodies the theme of clarity through constraint: a wine that finds its beauty in what it withholds rather than what it offers. An essential benchmark for understanding why less, in Burgundy, is always more.
Nerello Mascalese Vigne Vecchie
Calabretta
Calabretta's old-vine Nerello Mascalese is a masterclass in how air and altitude sculpt a wine—vineyards perched high on Etna's slopes channel wind and volcanic breath into the glass. This is traditional Etna winemaking at its most soulful: no shortcuts, no polish, just pure terroir captured by a family that has farmed the same contrada for generations. A hauntingly beautiful wine that rewards patience and contemplation.
Perrin Cotes du Rhone Reserve Rouge 2022
Perrin
The Perrin family's Réserve Rouge remains one of the Rhône's most reliable everyday reds, delivering genuine terroir character at a fraction of the cost of their Châteauneuf-du-Pape holdings. It captures the warmth of a late November harvest—generous, grounding, and quietly soulful. A wine that pairs as well with weeknight suppers as it does with the season's final fireside gatherings.
Domaine Gramenon Côtes du Rhône La Sagesse 2022
Domaine Gramenon
La Sagesse means 'wisdom,' and this bottling from very old Grenache vines is aptly named. Michèle Aubéry-Laurent farms biodynamically and vinifies with minimal intervention — native yeast, no added sulfur, no fining or filtration. This is transparency in a bottle: terroir, vine age, and vintage, nothing hidden.