2018 Chateauneuf Du Pape
By Chateau de Beaucastel
2018 Chateauneuf Du Pape from Chateau de Beaucastel, Rhône
The 2018 vintage in the Rhône valley was a true spectacle of nature and climate, resulting in a unique and noteworthy expression. Chateau de Beaucastel's rendition of the vintage - the Chateauneuf Du Pape - truly sets the benchmark for its entrancing marriage of depth and complexity.
Characterising the 2018 Vintage
The 2018 growing season was marked by a particularly warm summer, punctuated with stormy spells that served to imbue this vintage with a rare richness. The climatic interplay birthed grapes with striking maturity and concentration, imprinting indelible characteristics of abundance and magnitude into the 2018 Chateauneuf Du Pape from Chateau de Beaucastel.
Truly an Investment-worthy Wine
On opening, this noble wine offers an engaging symphony of ripe black fruits and herbal hints of garrigue, underscored by persistent minerality reminiscent of the region's stony terroir. The prominent Mourvèdre lends the wine enticing nuances of dark chocolate and liquorice, whilst Grenache adds a moreish density of fruit.
The genius of this 2018 release lies not only in its marvellous bouquet but unflinchingly in the balance achieved despite such sumptuous intensity. The underlying acidity grants longevity to both its structure and potential for investment. The enduring journey this wine promises makes it an intricate part of any sophisticated investor's portfolio.
Engaging Complexity: 2018 Chateauneuf Du Pape
The seductive interplay between richness and freshness continues on the palate, delivering a vinous experience that is enveloping and lingering. 2018’s Chateauneuf Du Pape from Chateau de Beaucastel bears witness to the meticulous vineyard practices, age-old traditions utilised in the cellar, and the substantial rewards brought by favourable climatic conditions.
This entrancing iteration, teeming with a plenitude of flavours and a commanding structure, unravels with every sip - alluringly unfurling the tale of its exceptional creating. What we have in this 2018 vintage is not only a celebration of Chateauneuf Du Pape but an investment piece begging for patience; its narrative will continue to mature and evolve - tantalisingly so - for those wise enough to wait.
Market price (HKD)
HK$5,070.00
12x75cl
Highest score
95
POP score
35.33
Scores and tasting notes
At the moment, Beaucastel's 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape bucks the vintage trend toward open, expressive wines, seeming a bit closed on the nose and tight on the palate. It also shows a bit more depth and tannin than many of its peers. A blend of 30% each Grenache and Mourvèdre, with 15% Syrah, 10% Counoise and smaller amounts of other permitted varieties (including some white grapes), it delivers hints of mixed red berries and garrigue, a medium to full-bodied feel in the mouth, some dusty tannins and a long, mouthwatering finish. Give it another couple of years to soften and reopen, then drink it over the next decade and a half.
Joe Czerwinski - The Wine Advocate, 30 December 2020