The 2013 Chateauneuf-du-Pape vintage was challenging across the southern Rhone, marked by a wet summer and variable conditions that required selective harvesting and careful cellar management. Beaucastel, with its diverse blend of all thirteen permitted varieties and its Mourvèdre-dominant structure, navigated the vintage better than many neighbouring estates. Wine Spectator awarded 92 points to the finished wine, noting 'a core of fig and blackberry fruit that fans out steadily from start to finish with lightly singed juniper, tobacco and brick dust notes.'

Winemaker Cesar Perrin had the opportunity in 2013 to taste the individual variety components before blending, describing Mourvèdre as 'the star of the show' with 'blockbuster levels of concentration and depth' despite the difficult growing year. The proportion of Mourvèdre in the 2013 blend was increased relative to Grenache to account for the latter's less convincing performance in the cool conditions. Beaucastel's diverse planting strategy, an insurance policy against any single variety failing in a given vintage, demonstrates its full utility in a year like 2013.

The 2013 Beaucastel occupies an interesting position in the estate's back catalogue: not a universally acclaimed vintage, but a wine that has evolved with the elegance that Mourvèdre-dominant blends from good producers can achieve in cooler years. At over a decade of age, the 2013 should be in or approaching its accessible window, offering the earthy, truffle-tinged complexity for which mature Beaucastel is prized.

Drink now through 2028. Best from 2017. Pair with game bird, truffle risotto, roasted lamb or mature cheddar. Decant one to two hours before service.