1988 Chateau de Beaucastel - Still Crazy, After All These Years
30% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre, 100% immortal.
Even by the standards of the Southern Rhone, Chateau de Beaucastel are quirky traditionalists:
This wine is a blend of 30% Mourvedre, 30% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 5% Cinsault, 1% Cunoise, and smaller amounts of Vaccarese and Muscardin. It is hand harvested and destemmed and after crushing, undergoes fermentation in cement tanks for three weeks before being aged up to 18 months in large, old oak casks known as foudres. It is lightly fined with egg whites before bottling, but never undergoes any filtration whatsoever — filtering being one of the chief evils of modern winemaking according to the Perrin family tradition.
Fossick hard enough, and you can find this classic for under $100.
1988 Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape, France [Vinography]
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