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  • Weather

    19° C Few clouds
  • Time

    13:53 PM
  • Wine average?

    95 Tb
  • Country Ranking?

    89
  • Region Ranking?

    9
  • Popularity ranking?

    98

News

  • 2012 - A year of contrasts made a balanced wine

    The first month of the year was very mild with temperatures reaching 18oC. In contrast, February was extremely cold with record temperatures of -12oC. This lasted 10 days and was accompanied by strong Mistral with gusts of 120Km/h.

    The spring was cool and wet with strong Mistral blowing up to 172Km/h. This cooler spring lead to a later budburst than usual. The summer was also full of contrasts with a cooler, dry and windy month of July, and a very hot (41.9oC on 21 August) month of August. We then had an Indian summer in September and beginning of October that were sunny, hot and dry. A bit of rainfall in August and September limited the hydric stress and helped complete the maturing of the later harvest varieties. The hours of sunshine between April and September were very good and comparable to 2010. The average temperatures on the other hand were cooler, especially at night.

  • We started harvesting on September 7th with Syrah. Harvest conditions were good and temperatures were average. The crop was very healthy and the phenolic maturity reached moderate sugar (therefore alcohol) levels. We ended harvest with Mourvèdre on October 12th. Like every year, we paid special attention to the sortingof the grapes in the vineyard but also in the cellar. The grapes were entirely de-stemmed (by pendulum motion). Then a second sorting after de-stemming of the actual grape itself allowed us to sort the grapes that hadn’t reached perfect maturity.

    Yields in 2012 were quite a bit lower than average, around 20hl/h.

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History

Among the prominent people in the town of Courthezon during the sixteenth century was the Beaucastel family. In 1549, “Noble Pierre de Beaucastel” bought “a barn with its land holdings, containing 25 saumées at Coudoulet”. More than four centuries later, this remarkable domaine, known today at Château de Beaucastel, is producing what most people acknowledge to be the finest wines of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. In 1903, a young chemical engineer and mathematics professor named Pierre Perrin, together with his father-in-law, began to restore the domaine following the ravages of phylloxera.

His son, Jacques Perrin, took over the domaine in 1953 and introduced many innovations such as improved grape varietals, integrated pest control, and a flash-heat exchanger. Today, the third and fourth generations of Perrins, François and Jean-Pierre and Jean-Pierre’s sons Pierre, Marc and Thomas, continue in the tradition of their father and grandfather.

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Vineyards

The vineyard comes first...

We are convinced that, to produce a great wine, the vine must grow in as natural a way as possible. This will enable it to fully express the natural balance of its surroundings. Thus, at Beaucastel, neither chemical fertiliser, pesticide nor insecticide has been used since 1964. Weeds are destroyed by plough and by hand, and all sprays used on the vines involve only natural products. Over the years, the vine has thus developed its own resistance to agression. Bees, ladybirds and worms are plentiful in our vineyards. Production levels are obviously low, but, through their organic nature, the wines reveal the essence of their terroir. 

The estate covers a total of 130 hectares (321.24 acres), of which only 100 hectares (247.10 acres) are planted with vines in one plot.

Château de Beaucastel is a magical place surrounded by hills dotted with vineyards, olive trees and truffle oaks. Here, nature flourishes, becomes emancipated and feels comfortable. Very old vines with gnarled feet stand in the traditional style of the gobelet on a solid ground with round stones. When the mistral blows - that wind comes from the legendary Alps and rushes into the funnel of the southern Rhone Valley - you can feel it rushing over the vineyards and revealing the fragrance of the scrubland. It has the singing accent of the people living here, born and raised in the Mediterranean climate. The wines of Chateau de Beaucastel come from this ancestral land planted with 13 varieties.

 

The cult of the soil and the terroir

At Château de Beaucastel, Famille Perrin attaches the utmost care to respect the land and restore it to its purest expression. Respecting the terroir both means enhancing the soil characteristics, the environment, but also highlighting the history of the place. A search for authenticity, uniqueness in order to transmit it, to make it alive, while revealing all the treasures of the Chateau de Beaucastel.

Besides, Famille Perrin is known for having been a pioneer in its innovative approach of organic farming in 1950 and then biodynamics in 1974 at Chateau de Beaucastel. Because to make an expressing wine, the grape must have taste, it must reveal the quintessence of its aromas and the grandeur of its origins. Famille Perrin has always made every effort to place the vine in its universe, that is to say, the earth, the animals and the stars by which it is impacted. Understanding the Beaucastel ecosystem means to better value a treasure located on the northern part of the appellation, in a cool climate, exposed to the mistral wind (over 150 days per year), on a very complex terroir full of limestone, clay and sand. Every day, on each plot, the work helps to stimulate the physiology of the plant and its natural resistance. Famille Perrin has always preserved this unique ecosystem with passion, which gives to the wines a unique combination of power, structure, elegance and freshness. 

 

Elegance, sophistication and art of blending

Famille Perrin is proud of this rare elegance that is the signature of Chateau de Beaucastel. A wine with finesse and a surprising freshness for a region best known for the hot character of its wines. Here, the wines are not dominated by the powerful Grenache. It is

more a matter of balance with other varietals that bring freshness and roundness. The tradition of blending the 13 historical varieties of Chateauneuf du Pape is still maintained at Château de Beaucastel (Mourvèdre, Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault , Vacarèse, Counoise, Terret Noir, Muscardin, Clairette, Picpoul, Picardan, Bourboulenc, Roussanne). Mastering the art of blending grape varieties, through a unique know-how passed down from generation to generation, helps Famille Perrin to make unique wines every year. And to make, only in exceptional vintages, the prestigious "Hommage à Jacques Perrin”.

 

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Winemaking

The magic of blending...

In our Southern Rhône climate and terroirs, experience has shown us that wines are greater when they involve a blend between various grape varieties, rather than relying on just one. All our wines are thus blended from several grape varieties, and this logic is taken to its ultimate at Beaucastel, where all 13 varieties authorised in the Chateauneuf appellation are cultivated. Jean-Pierre, François, Marc, Pierre and Thomas Perrin get together in February to taste the wines from the various varieties. The aim is to decide, for each wine, the proportion of each grape that will make up the final blend. The magic of blending is that the finished article is always better than the individual components. 

 

Maturing the wine...

Our Southern Rhône terroirs produce grapes whose excellent maturity ensures that the wines have considerable tannic structure. This needs to be rounded out during the maturing process. We choose to age most of our wines in large casks rather than in small barrels, in order to provide an exchange between air and wine without adding further tannins from the wood.

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5 different wines with 93 vintages

Winemaking since 1594

  • Robert M. Parker

    “The results are stunning. The red wine is usually a black/ ruby or purple color, loaded with layers of fruit, tannins, and a multitude of fascinating scents and aromas...age, usually a minimum of six to ten years, brings forth its majestic richness and compelling array of aromas.”

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