Mistral and Mourvedre

If you visit Chateau Beaucastel on a windy day (about one in three) you'll hear the Mistral wind blowing through the vines. The Mistral starts in the Alps, then rushes down the Rhone Valley; it can be strong enough to damage trees and vines. But it also helps dry the vines and keep grapes healthy. After a run of hot vintages, 2021 was cool and fresh, and wet enough to make the drying effects of the Mistral welcome. Winemaker Cesar Perrin says 2021 reminds him of the great vintages of the 1980s and 1990s.

Beaucastel is the benchmark property in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, the one against which all others get measured. It's all about the excellent terroir, Herculean labours in the vineyard, and a merciless attitude to quality control. It acquires unusual complexity from its completist roll call of appellation grape varieties: Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah, Counoise, Vaccarese, Muscardin, Terret Noir, Clairette, Picardan, Bourboulenc, Roussanne, Cinsault. According to their character, these varieties are vinified either in oak or concrete; the white varieties bring out some exquisite floral notes. In 2021, there is less Syrah than usual (it fell victim to an early frost), so Mourvedre has a starring role. It means a little less fiery spice, and a little more garrigue and lavender, in the elegant, powerfully persistent 2021.

Also in the portfolio, Coudoulet is a generous, energetic red that far outstrips its Cotes du Rhone status. The Coudoulet vineyard is close by and similar to the Beaucastel vineyards. From a soil made up of glacial deposits laid over a chalky, ancient seabed, the vines squeeze their way out among pudding stones. It is a difficult terroir that forces vines to give their best. /NT

Offered subject to remaining unsold; available Winter 2023