Country: France Region: Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhône Varietal: 30% Grenache/Garnacha , 30% Mourvèdre, 15% Roussanne, 10% Syrah/Shiraz), 10% Counoise, 5% Cinsault Vintage: 2008 Colour: Red Style: Dry Producer: Chateau de Beaucastel Description: Château de Beaucastel own 110 hectares, with one single plot in the north of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation, where they grow all 13 authorised grape varieties. The vines are farmed organically and are on average 50-years-old. They are planted on pudding stone soils, which are traditional to the Southern Rhône. These stones retain heat from the day and keep the vines warm at night, helping to ripen the grapes. The sub-soils are made up of sand, clay and limestone. 2008 was characterised by a mild, wet winter which was followed by a long and hot summer, which brought harvest forward and boosted potential alcohol levels in the grapes. The vines coped well with the extreme heat and lack of rain in the summer thanks to good hydric reserves. Grapes were in excellent health throughout harvest, with well ripened stems and tannins, set to produce rich and powerful wines. Each variety was hand harvested and vinified separately. The Mourvedre and Syrah were vinified in oak barrels, while the other varieties in the blend were vinifed traditional tiled cement tanks. After malolactic fermentation, the different varieties were blended and the wine aged in oak foudres for 12 months before it was bottled. The 16th century Château de Beaucastel was acquired by the Perrin family in the early 1900s. With a global following for their benchmark Châteauneuf du Pape, the wines at this historic property are consistently among the finest in the region