I had this last night after a refreshing glass of Pol Roger Winston Churchill 1996 and a delightful glass of Vieux Telegraphe Blanc (not sure of the year), and as good as these wines were, the Beaucastel was truly awesome. 100% Roussanne. Lightly perfumed showing hints of honeysuckle and lemon, spices, roasted nuts and a touch of breadiness. The palate is fine, and wonderfully flavoured with citrus fruits and exotic spices, light but with surprising power and texture. Not sure how it will age, but it is great drinking now. Well worth having a bottle in the cellar for a special occasion.
Rated : 96 Points
Tasted : Sep09
Alcohol : 14%
Price : $250
Closure : Cork
Drink : 2009-2017
Source : The Wine Emporium
Website : Chateau de Beaucastel
$250 for a Rhone white!
This sounds like its worth it, but if you put this up against an equivalent priced Grand Cru Burgundy, would it stack up?
Thanks for the note! Sounds earth-moving
cheers
Carl
Yes, a lot for a white Rhone, though it’s not like I fished the bottle out of a 6 pack in the cellar.
re White Burg: a difficult beast of course, but comparable in quality to a good Corton-C or Chevalier-M.
Lincoln, is this your first 96-pointer?
No actually. Top scorers prior to this wine were:
Domaine du Pegau Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reservee 2003: 96 points
Moet et Chandon Dom Perignon 1996: 96 points
Seppelt Para Liqueur Single Vintage Tawny 1983: 97 points
The Vieux Telegraphe was the 05.
This was pretty darn nice. Focused in fruit definition but richly structured at the same time. Well into the 90s from me too.
When Michel and I did tastings in CNdP last year the winemakers talked about how some Rhone whites in the great years could compare to Montrachet. We scoffed a little but were shown some very impressive wines.