100pts Jeb Dunnuck

Brought up all in new demi-muids and barrels, the 100% Roussanne 2022 Châteauneuf Du Pape Roussanne Vielles Vignes offers a heavenly bouquet of ripe quince, acacia flowers, toasted almonds, citrus oil, and spice. Ful-bodied, deep, concentrated, and layered, with an unctuous style, this is pure Beaucastel magic. Reminding me of the 2009 (which is drinking brilliantly today), it deserves 2-4 years of bottle age and will absolutely blow you away over the following decade or more. One of the stalwarts of the appellation, Château de Beaucastel continues to produce an incredible array of wines from their estate in the northwestern edge of the appellation. Looking at the vintages reviewed here, the 2022s are ripe, sexy wines that bring to mind 2019 or even 2009. The whites are absolutely brilliant, and while only tasted from barrel, the 2022s will certainly be incredible wines. The 2021s also showed well and possess more depth and density than most in the vintage. In general, Mourvèdre seemed more challenging in 2021, but you certainly wouldn’t have that impression after tasting at Beaucastel. The closest comparison here for the 2021s would be the 2008s, which are balanced, elegant wines that are still drinking beautifully today. The 2021s should be a step up in quality, although I suspect they will evolve along a similar trajectory. Lastly, the estate is wrapping up a massive renovation of the cellar that was built with sustainability front and center and will be using an evapor.

97pts James Suckling

Amazing nose of dried apricots and caramelized pears with a lot of toasted nut complexity. Very rich and mellow on the full-bodied palate, this glides over your palate. Opulent in the best sense, the creaminess very sensual, and then comes the amazingly graceful and properly dry, super-long finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.

97pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2022 Chateauneuf du Pape Roussanne Vieilles Vignes is another triumphant vintage for this bottling. Fermented and matured in a combination of new and second-use oak, it's ripe and honeyed, with waves of lush peach and melon fruit, yet it somehow never seems overdone. Full-bodied, ripe and round, it's expansive in the mouth yet never heavy, finishing long and luxurious, with subtle hints of wood spice, honey and citrus. On my last two visits to this large, historic property, I've been greeted by Cesar Perrin, who now manages all of the family's vineyards and supervises the winemaking at Château de Beaucastel. Other family members continue to be involved in the myriad wine-related business decisions, including participating in the annual blending process. The big news is that the new, state-of-the-art winery facility is inching closer to completion. Built largely of rammed earth from the site, and designed to have a big portion of the cooling load handled by ambient winds evaporating stored rainwater, it will set new standards in sustainability (assuming it all works the way it is supposed to). In the vineyards, experiments with various cover crop regimes rolled as mulch are taking place with a view toward slowing sugar accumulation in the grapes and reining in potential alcohol levels. The results are intriguing, with the 2021 samples I tried from barrel coming in 0.5% to 0.7% lower in finished alcohol and with slightly lower pHs compared to plots farmed more traditiona

95pts Decanter

A big, expansive vintage of this wine, it’s really quite juicy and fleshy. The acidity is well balanced, but this is considerably richer than 2021 and even 2020. The oak feels more noticeable at this stage, too. Quite a potent, rich year for this cuvée, with a long finish. An opulent, hedonistic Roussanne. Matured in barrels, 50% new, 50% one-year-old. 

95pts Vinous

The dashing 2022 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Roussanne Vieilles Vignes is yet another brilliant white from this reliable address. Discrete cedar, lemon peel, ripe pear, yellow apple and spring blossom are all pushed forward. Verbena tea and melon add more dimension. Hitting the palate with ample concentration and tension, the 2022 flawlessly makes its way to a sapid finish that lingers with an elegant aftertaste.(NG)

Winemaker Notes

A magnificent deep and intense golden robe. Opulent and complex, the nose is particularly seductive, typical of this Roussanne Vieilles Vignes, with notes of honey, lightly stewed, very ripe fruit such as apricots, peaches and brioche. Very elegant on the palate, a delicate bitterness and a subtle salinity perfectly balances the richness, power and structure of Roussanne. This remarkably balanced wine reflects the perfect development of Roussanne on this exceptional terroir.