2009 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Roussanne
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Tasting notes
An absolute legendary white from the south of France, the 2009 Châteauneuf Du Pape Roussanne Vieilles Vignes is still a lively gold hue with just a hint of that patina of age starting to emerge. It brings full-bodied, rich, thick aromatics of ripe stone fruits, quince, white flowers, toasted almond, and subtle croissant that's to die for. These carry to a rich, textured, layered, flawlessly balanced white that brings remarkable depth of fruit while staying light on its feet, graceful, and never putting a foot wrong. It's in a perfect place and is one of those wines that I wish I could put in front of every reader to show the magic of this cuvée at full maturity. Drink bottles over the coming decade. Drink 2026-2036.
Critic scores
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
So much waxy and nutty complexity, accentuated by the essence-like dried pear character. Astonishing texture on the super-concentrated and equally elegant palate. Then, just when you think you\'ve got it, the dried-apricot finish pours over you in a great creamy wave that doesn\'t want to end. And none of these words quite capture the magic of this astonishing wine. Drink or hold.
While I couldn't quite reach triple digits in scoring this 2009 Chateauneuf du Pape Roussanne Vieilles Vignes, I was still completely blown away by its voluptuous majesty. Full-bodied, rich and ripe, it rolls easily across the palate in swells of amazing honey, pear, tangerine and marmalade notes. Almost ageless, it lingers elegantly on the finish, adding piquant hints of white pepper. Twenty years of enjoyable evolution doesn't seem remotely out of the question for this tour de force.
Creamy, toasted nose. Still very freshly fruited with banana, apricot, peach and toffee apple. Big in every way, but avoids exaggeration thanks to a savoury finish and plenty of phenolic grip. No sign of oxidation whatsoever. (RH)
About the producer
This Châteauneuf-du-Pape estate is one of the Rhône’s most famous addresses. With a history stretching back to the 16th century, Beaucastel remains family owned and run, with the fifth generation of the Perrin family – Marc, Pierre, Thomas, Cécile, Charles, Matthieu and César – at the helm today.