The 2006 Beaucastel shows the textbook character of a mature Châteauneuf-du-Pape. It has expansive raspberry and cherry scents with suggestions of succulent herbs, pungent flowers, cigar box and just a hint of earth. Given the high percentage of Mourvèdre (almost a third of the blend), I would have thought that the earthy aspect would have been more pronounced, but that is not the case here. The 2006 is silky in texture, and the suave blend of depth and energy highlights its red fruit along with floral pastille and baking spice flavors. It finishes extremely long and precise, with superb clarity and just a hint of finely polished tannins adding gentle grip. Beaucastel often shows some gamy character when the wines are young; however, the 2006 did not in barrel nor after it was bottled, and there’s no trace of it now. I noted almost twelve years ago that this was a wine that “beguiles rather than brutalizes”, and I’m happy with that assessment today. Readers lucky enough to have bought the 2006 Beaucastel on release got great value compared to the where bottles that just arrived on the market are priced today, yet the 2006 is actually quite fairly priced for a 15-year-old, world-class wine that comes direct from the winery’s cellars.

For once, the best wine of the evening during a dinner in Alsace was not an Alsatian white. It’s hard to argue with the simply magnificent 2006 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf du Pape Rouge, a masterpiece of refinement and precision. Not at all a blockbuster, but rather a paragon of balance and gracefulness, it offers finely spicy red berry and dark cherry nuances lifted by lavender and thyme. It’s a wine of remarkable clarity and cut.

Robert Parker''s Wine Advocate 30/11/2009 Medium to deep garnet colour. Pretty perfume of freshly crushed raspberries / blackberries with nuances of wet leaves, cinnamon and white pepper. The medium to full bodied palate provides a good concentration of juicy berry fruit countered by medium to high acidity and a medium level of velvety tannins. Wonderfully balanced. Long finish with notes of white pepper. 13.4% alcohol. Drink 2010 - 2030. Tasted August 2009. As I stated last year, there is no Hommage a Jacques Perrin in 2006, but Beaucastel’s 2006 Chateauneuf du Pape is performing even better from bottle than it did last year. Its dense plum/ruby/purple color is followed by a big, sweet perfume of black truffles, camphor, earth, incense, new saddle leather, and loads of peppery, blackberry, and herb-infused, meaty, black cherry fruit. Deep, full-bodied, and dense, with sweet tannin, this explosively rich Chateauneuf is a stronger effort than the 2005, 2004, or 2003. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2028 (95)

Very attractive overripe fruit aroma with a touch of compost and farmyard – yet not overtly bretty or funky. Balanced, rounded, succulent and finely balanced – this is a great example of the style in the prime of its life, full of fruit but showing tertiary development too. (RH)