Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Château de Beaucastel, Roussanne Vieilles Vignes, Perrin - Château de Beaucastel 2016

Also bottled two weeks ago, the 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Roussanne Vieilles Vignes is utterly killer and is as good as it gets. Huge notes of orange blossom, peach, tangerine, honeysuckle, and caramelized citrus flow from this insanely good, unctuous, heavenly textured white that possesses full-bodied richness and power, yet stays light, graceful and perfectly balanced on the palate. Drink bottles anytime over the coming 4-6 years, or cellar for a decade or more. Robert Parker once famously called this the Montrachet of the Rhône, and I wholeheartedly agree with him. Don’t miss this wine!

Always a step up in concentration on the regular Beaucastel Blanc, this year the Roussanne Vieilles Vignes brings added notes of honeysuckle and floral peach and pear in addition to the riper, broader stone fruits and creamy undertones. The palate is dense, with a rich and waxy texture cut by refreshing, lingering acidity. Full bodied and powerful, the fragrant yet rich fruit lingers on a very long finish.

The 500-case production of this wine comes from a three-hectare parcel of Roussanne planted in 1909. The 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape Roussanne Vieilles Vignes takes the quality of Beaucastel's traditional white and raises it another level. Caramelized pineapple sounds sweet and cloying, but it isn't when it's backed by amazing texture, citrus zest and a briny sensation on the never-ending finish. As this was the last wine of my visit to the estate, I found it especially hard to spit out.

fine yellow colour, legs visible. There is quiet intensity on the nose – peach, nectarine, with some gunflint, cooked lemon. It breathes the vinosity of old vines accurately. It’s wide and not showy. The palate is well enclosed with stylish gras richness, all very orderly, and extending with stealthy depth. The texture is oily, belle, and the finish produces suave gras with discreetly firm edges. I would skip its first youth. It holds fine and concentrated juice on the late stages. The balance is good. From 2021. 2031-33 Oct 2017

5 stars