Coudoulet de Beaucastel red 2021

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Coudoulet de Château Beaucastel 2021 red wine:

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Joe Czerwinski, Oct. 2023): 92/100. A terrific vintage for this wine, which was bottled just a couple of weeks prior to my late June visit, the 2021 Cotes du Rhone Coudoulet de Beaucastel is a blend of 30% each Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah, plus 10% Cinsault. From a vineyard just outside the boundaries of the appellation of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, it's a remarkably consistent wine and always a solid value. Scents of sunbaked stones, black cherries and licorice appear on the nose, joined by hints of purple raspberries and dark chocolate, while the medium to full-bodied palate is lush and velvety, finishing long and complex. (drink date: 2023-2035)

Technical sheet written by the domaine :

THE WINE
The 30 hectares of the Coudoulet de Beaucastel vineyard are located just east of Beaucastel, across the A7 motorway. For reasons that will become obvious, it is often considered the baby of Beaucastel. When looking at the soil of Coudoulet, one notices many similarities with that of Beaucastel. It is composed of Miocene marine molasse covered by alpine diluvium. This layer of rolled pebbles greatly contributes to the wines of Beaucastel: it stores the intense heat of the Mediterranean sun during the day and slowly releases it to the vines at night. This allows for a good start for the vines in spring.

THE VINTAGE
Favored by very nice climatic conditions, the 2020 vintage is a year of optimal quality. Less hot than 2019, this year was very windy throughout the growing cycle, with low rainfall. After a fairly mild and gentle winter (only one frost episode is noted on the night of March 24-25, but only the earliest plots are very slightly affected), spring is bright, quite warm, and very windy, allowing the soils to retain their freshness. Flowering begins on May 18, under very healthy conditions. Good weather continues in June, July, and August, with warmth but lower temperatures than in 2019, cool and humid nights, and the wind that continues to blow, preserving the freshness of the vines and maintaining the perfect sanitary quality of the grapes. Harvesting, quite early, begins under these very good conditions on August 26 with the Côtes-du-Rhône whites and continues until the end of September with the Mourvèdre. The month of September, initially warm then more temperate, offers idyllic harvesting conditions and allows each plot to be harvested at perfect maturity. The harvest is very healthy with beautiful, juicy, and well-ripened grapes, reasonable alcohol levels, nice acidity, and already a beautiful balance.

LOCATION
Eastern part of the Beaucastel vineyard, 30 hectares in the Côtes du Rhône appellation.

TERROIR
Miocene marine molasse covered by alpine diluvium (rolled stones), identical to that of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape vineyard.

AGING
Manual harvesting, sorting of the harvest upon arrival at the cellar, heating of the whole grapes to 80°C (skin), cooling to 20°C. Classic maceration in concrete tanks for 12 days. Pressing of the free-run juice. Pressing in a pneumatic press. Blending of the different grape varieties that have been vinified separately after malolactic fermentation. Aging in oak casks for 6 months.

GRAPE VARIETIES
Grenache 40%, Mourvèdre 30%, Syrah 20%, Cinsault 10%

SERVICE
16°C in an INAO glass.

TASTING
Superb deep color. Complex, the nose offers notes of ripe fruits, spices, and flowers.
Full and balanced, the palate is delicate with magnificent aromas of cherry, plum, and licorice, and a long finish.