2024 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc Roussanne V V
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Tasting notes
Made from all very old Roussanne from a single parcel just behind the château, the 2024 Châteauneuf Du Pape Roussanne Vieille Vignes offers a gorgeous nose of ripe quince, toasted bread, white flowers, spice, and crushed stone. Richer and fuller than the regular cuvée, it's medium to full-bodied, with a deep, layered, opulent mouthfeel, beautifully integrated acidity, and a great finish. It's another heavenly white from this team that should have 20-30 years of longevity. Drink 2025-2054. One of the stalwarts of the appellation, Château de Beaucastel continues to produce an incredible array of wines from their estate on the northwestern edge of the appellation. Looking at the vintages reviewed here, the 2023s show the approachable style of the vintage, yet the reds bring impressive density and concentration. The estate lost some Grenache due to shatter in 2023, which resulted in a higher Mourvèdre component in the classic cuvée (40% Mourvèdre, 30% Grenache, 10% Counoise, 10% Syrah), giving it a more serious, focused style than most in the vintage. The whites are absolutely brilliant, with the 2024 Roussanne Vieilles Vignes showing heavenly levels of richness and depth from very old Roussanne from a single parcel just behind the château. It’s consistently one of the greatest white wines in the world. The tiny production Hommage à Jacques Perrin comes from a single parcel planted by Jacques with the idea of the perfect blend for a Châteauneuf du Pape and is always based on 60% Mourvèdre and 20% each of Syrah and Grenache. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to taste the 2024 reds from barrel, but I’ll report on these next year. The estate recently wrapped up a massive renovation of the cellar that was built with sustainability front and center and will be using an evaporative cooling mechanism with stored rainwater. As usual, this brilliant family never puts a foot wrong.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
James Suckling
More reviews and scores
The 2024 Chateauneuf du Pape Roussanne Vieilles Vignes is broad and dramatic, bursting with aromas of smoke, spices, ripe white fruits, confit citrus and nutmeg. Full-bodied, layered and unctuous, with a fleshy, enveloping core of fruit framed by saline acidity, it’s a terrific white wine—and a strong contender for wine of the vintage.
The 2024 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Roussanne Vieilles Vignes is the white wine of the vintage. Fragrant chamomile, linden blossom, lemon flesh, jasmine and a trace of cedar are all pushed forward. Herbal tea adds even more complexity. Perfumed and refined, the full-bodied 2024 caresses the palate with impressive intensity and vibrancy, closing with a sleek saline touch on the long, focused finale.
So rich and dense yet so precise and delicate, this is a miraculously balanced white Chateauneuf-du-Pape. I love the aromas of floral honey and beautifully ripe melon, and on the medium- to full-bodied palate the subtle spicy notes are a delight. Super-long and super-elegant finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.
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.