Coudoulet de Beaucastel 1 x 12 bottles 0.75l.	259.20 CHF inc VAT

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Coudoulet de Beaucastel 2001 Vintage: 2001 Colour: Red Origin: France - Rhône Valley - Southern Rhône Alc % by Vol: 13% Jean-Michel Deluc: Robert Parker: 91/100 French Sommelier's Guide: 18

Our opinion

An extrordinary wine from this appellation. A Côtes du Rhone which really is as good as some of the best Châteauneuf du Pape.... The Beaucastel estate is out of the ordinary in the Côtes de Rhone. Blind tasted, it was placed above many of the Chateauneuf du Pape. The 2001 vintage is exceptional with a striking aromatic complexity and both a silky and powerful structure. Be sure to not treat it as just another run of the mill Côtes de Rhone, but rather as a ‘cru supérieur' of the region and pair it with simmered dishes. Harmonious, well bred with huge class, this wine will surprise even the most hardened Beaucastel devotees.

Description

Watch the Beaucastel video
We know that the Protestant Beaucastel family were living in Courthezon by the middle of the sixteenth century. In 1549 "Noble Pierre de Beaucastel" bought "a barn with its plot of land extending to 52 saumées at Coudoulet". Two centuries later at the time of the phylloxera, the owner of Beaucastel was Elie Dussaud, companion of Ferdinand de Lesseps who constructed the Suez Canal. At that time the vineyard went out of production and it was not until 1909, when Pierre Tramier bought the property, that planting began again. Beaucastel then passed to his son-in-law Pierre Perrin, a scientist who made great progress with the vineyard. His efforts were built on by Jacques Perrin, who lived until 1978. Today the torch is carried by the sons of Jacques. "We try to place the vine in its universe, that is to say relate it to the earth, the animal life and the stars, by which it is influenced". The methods of culture are clearly not consistent with producing high yields, but with the satisfaction of harvesting healthy, balanced grapes, intrinsically capable of producing a wine of great quality. The 30 hectares Coudoulet de Beaucastel vineyard is found just to the east of Beaucastel on the other side of the busy A7 autoroute. Coudoulet as with Beaucastel, owes its ability to age to the large proportion of Mourvedre - about 30% - that makes up the final cuvée. The other main variety, Grenache, gives Coudoulet the rounded fullness and intense fruit that is typical of Côtes du Rhône. Shiraz and Cinsault represent about 20% each and bring tannins and aromatic complexity to Coudoulet.

Tips on service

• Serve at 17°

Food and wine matching

Roast duck in figs, young wild boar, rabbit stew, pigeon pastilla, fruit confit of lamb tajine, grilled beef in wine sauce, refined and powerful cheeses.

Tasting notes

By Jean Michel Deluc : Master Sommelier

Eye - A ruby coloured wine of good intensity. The wine seems to have barely begun its development with violet nuances and then shades of mauve at the edge of the glass. Bright, velvety, shimmering and limpid. Good concentration.
Nose - On the nose it has a good intensity with an immediate impression of complexity and a well integrated structure. A superb harmony of red and black fruity notes, strawberry, raspberry, blackcurrants, blackberries and cherries. This fruity background deliciously encompasses aromas of barrel-ageing, where you find notes of pepper, vanilla and cinnamon, but also toasted notes, light tobacco and cocoa. With aeration, the wine offers more freshness, with subtle notes of mint and liquorice. A charming wine.
Palate - On the palate the attack is round and supple with superb fruity flavours, identical to those that we found on the nose, with a beautiful acidity in the middle of the palate and very fine, yet well integrated tannins and a good length. A sharper finish with pepper and spicy flavours. A powerful and generous wine. Overall it is harmonious, profound and seductive.