94pts Wilfred Wong

Can a wine be too pretty? Let's get real and just say, "No!" I know that some traditionalists will say that this one smells too "New World" like. This wine simply beautiful and one that everyone (and I mean everyone) will enjoy. How can one not like the most beautiful wine in the world? I poured this for the team and I saw smiles all the way and around. Medium to deep ruby, garnet color; aromatic red and blue fruits in the nose, with a whiff of dried sage, sweet earth and herbs de Provence; medium bodied, and so well structured on the palate; dry, medium acidity, fine balance; alluring flavors of red and blue fruits simply dance on the palate, with class and grace, excellent persistence; medium to long finish, smooth and fine the aftertaste. Drinking quite well now and sure to get better with time. Medium finish, perky aftertaste. This one calls for rotisserie organic chicken, with fresh wild greens; I can almost tasting this food pairing now. (Tasted: December 17, 2015, San Francisco, CA)

94pts Tasting Panel

Another stunner from the Perrin family. Bright, fresh and elegant with refined red berry fruit and clean flavors of potential.

93pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2013 Chateauneuf du Pape is a beauty and has a rare level of concentration and depth in the vintage. Blueberry, crushed flowers, pepper, and violet aromas and flavors flow nicely to a medium to full-bodied, structured and tannic Beaucastel that has impressive purity and plenty of length. It’s not massive, but still needs 4-5 years of cellaring and will keep for a decade after that.

93pts Wine Enthusiast

While not the most structured vintage of Beaucastel, this is a full-bodied, creamy-textured rendering of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Finely detailed notes of plum, thyme and leather mark the nose, while the flavors are ripe almost to the point of jamminess. Drink now–2025.

92pts Wine Spectator

Solid, with a core of fig and blackberry fruit that fans out steadily from start to finish as lightly singed juniper, tobacco and brick dust notes waft through. Latent acidity hold the finish. Best from 2017 through 2028.

Winemaker Notes

Nearly black in color. The nose is very delicate and powerful at the same time, red fruit, black currants, blackberries, spices, thyme and lavender. The bouquet is very elegant, rich and round. Figs, cherries, black currants and stewed fruit, all with a great acidity. The tannins are present but very delicate.

Blend: 30% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre, 10% Counoise, 10% Syrah, 5% Cinsault, with others.

Winery Notes

The first evidence of Château de Beaucastel as it exists today is in the sixteenth century. In 1909, Pierre Traminer bought the estate and then transferred it to his son-in-law Pierre Perrin, a scientist who further developed Beaucastel. His son, Jacques, continued his father’s efforts until 1978 and today, the torch is carried by Jacques’ sons, Jean-Pierre and François. They are joined by the fifth generation of Perrins—Marc, Pierre, Thomas, Cécile, Charles, Matthieu, and César.