2017 Chateau Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape

Regular price $149.98

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94+ Wine Advocate - Now that it's in the bottle, Beaucastel's 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape comes across as full-bodied and rich, but also a bit shut down and reticent on the nose. With air, black olives and asphalt give way to black cherries and briery spice notes, backed by velvety but substantial tannins and a long, richly textured finish. Given a few years in the cellar, I have no doubt this will drink well for the next 15-plus years.

The 2017 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a dark, structured, Mourvèdre-forward expression of Beaucastel. Compared with the voluptuous 2007, 2017 is less immediately seductive and more about savory complexity, freshness and architecture.

2017 was exceptionally dry, resulting in low yields and concentrated fruit. The final blend is reported as 30% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre, 15% Syrah, 10% Counoise, 5% Cinsault and 10% other traditional varieties. The Mourvèdre is particularly important here, giving the wine its muscular, savory personality.

Expect black cherry, blackberry, cassis and plum, but the real Beaucastel character comes through with black olive, garrigue, lavender, licorice, cracked pepper, leather, smoked meat and truffle. There's also an intriguing mineral/earthy quality—almost charcoal, crushed stone and asphalt—that keeps the ripe fruit firmly on the savory side.

The palate is full-bodied, concentrated and velvety, but this isn't a soft vintage. The tannins are substantial and the acidity gives the wine considerable energy.

Dark, brooding Beaucastel—black cherry and cassis wrapped in black olive, smoked meat, leather, truffle, pepper and wild Provençal herbs. Powerful and concentrated, but beautifully fresh. Less sexy than 2007 today, perhaps, but more serious and built for the cellar.

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