2016 Château de Beaucastel Côtes du Rhône Coudoulet de Beaucastel- France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône (1/10/2021)
Decanted 4hrs. Initially a bit blocky on the first few sips, but very quickly rounded into form, splendid form. Dark raspberry fruit is set against a rather powerful frame, unusually so for CdR. Iron shavings and the suggestion of Provençal herbs hang around the perimeter, but I’d hazard a guess with cellar time, these will become more pronounced and integrated. A strong floral note on the closing stage adds additional appeal. All this wine needs is a little time. (92 pts.)
Don’t sleep on the 17 Beaucastel CdP. It may not have the sheer longevity of the 16, but over the next 10 years, it will provide a lot of gratification as it’s already showing some complexities.
Dale, just finished a bottle of this last night with winter fare of slow cooked lentils with oso buco. It’s not Ch9P but not far off and Brett-less. Better on the second day. Glad we have many dark months to drink bigger reds.
K&L had some 1988s sometime last year for about current release price and a friend and I bought several. They’ve been quite good. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend aging them that long but they can certainly last.
Are there vintages that were particularly good for Beaucastel? Years where they were noted to have outperformed the region? So beyond just the best years generally, instances where they just got it all right and they had the wine of the vintage?
I had the 16 again last night after a 6 hr decant. Suffice to say its likely the best Cotes du Rhône I have ever had. It’s with 100% certainty I never enjoyed a CdR as much as lasts nights bottle.