The 2009 Chateauneuf-du-Pape was one of the great warm-vintage expressions Beaucastel has produced, described by Robert Parker as 'reminiscent of their brilliant 1985.' Where the famous Beaucastel style ordinarily demands long patience, the 2009's exceptional ripeness and softer tannin structure made it accessible relatively early while still carrying the structural capacity for decades of development. The wine was produced from the estate's classic blend of roughly 30% each Grenache and Mourvèdre, with Syrah, Counoise and other permitted varieties completing the assemblage.

Wine Spectator awarded 96 points, their highest score for any Chateauneuf-du-Pape of the vintage, describing a wine 'packed with dark smoldering cocoa, mesquite, tobacco and roasted fig notes, all inlaid with pure cassis and plum preserves fruit flavours, long and authoritative on the finish.' The Wine Advocate (Robert Parker) awarded 94 points, noting that the wine possessed 'soft tannins as well as a silky, open-knit seductiveness' and comparing its development trajectory to the legendary 1985 Beaucastel. Jeb Dunnuck more recently awarded 96 points, finding beautiful spicy, mature sweet red and black fruits with notes of peppered meats.

Now at sixteen years of age, the 2009 Beaucastel should be well into its complex, mature drinking window. Parker predicted it would 'drink well young and continue to do so for 25 or more years,' and at this point the wine offers a combination of evolved tertiary complexity and retained fruit that represents the ideal state for a great Beaucastel. Bottles at auction have attracted sustained collector interest, reflecting both the vintage's reputation and the estate's consistent quality track record.

Drink through 2030. Decant two to three hours and serve at 17 degrees Celsius. An ideal companion for roasted leg of lamb with herbes de Provence, venison, confit duck or strong aged cheese.