How great is the 2007 vintage in the southern Rhone? American
wine guru Robert Parker picked 2007 as "the vintage of a lifetime” after
visiting the region in 2008, having tasted many of the wines from this
vintage. Parker has a special affinity
with the Rhone, as well as Bordeaux,
and these are areas where is expertise is beyond dispute. Or is it?
As recently as October in 2009, Parker has continued to back 2007,
saying "this is a truly historic and profoundly great vintage”, with the
realistic advice that "there will always be another great vintage…2009 looking
fantastic”, in placating enthusiasts who have missed out on buying their share
of these wines. However, in the March
2010 issue of Decanter magazine, the results of the tasting of 2007
Chateauneuf-du-Pape was not quite as supportive, the panel finding too many of
the wines lacking acidity and excessive in heat and alcohol. Decanter still recognized the very high quality,
but pointed to the variability between labels and bottlings. Nevertheless, the English view was that there
were exciting, hedonistically dense and long-lived.
Despite the diverging opinion on the vintage,
there is no doubt as to the quality of the Chateau de Beaucastel
Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2007, just arrived into Regional Wines. Run by the Perrin family, Chateau de Beaucastel
is truly one of the great estates of the Rhone,
if not the world. Based at Courthezon,
all 13 permitted grape varieties are planted in its 100 hectares, and used in
the blend, which famously has a very high proportion of Mourvedre, said to give
the wine its distinctive black fruited complexity and longevity.
Here’s what Robert Parker says in The Wine
Advocate No. 185, October 2009: "Beaucastel’s 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape has
turned out even better out of bottle than I predicted. An inky/opurple/ruby color is followed by a
glorious nose of blue and black fruits, truffles, pen ink, licorice, and meat
juices as well as glorious levels of acidity and sweet tannin, buttressing the
fruit’s fabulous freshness and vibrancy.
This full-bodied effort still displays considerable tannin, no doubt
because of the relatively high Mourvedre content. It should resolve its tannins in 2-4 years,
and last for 25 or more.” 96 points
Only one dozen bottles are available at time of
writing. Sales will be on a first-in
basis.