Coudoulet de Beaucastel Red 2016
Château de Beaucastel is located 5 kilometers south-east of Orange, at the northern limit of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation. The 30 hectares of Coudoulet de Beaucastel vineyard are located just east of Beaucastel, on the other side of the A7 motorway. For reasons that will become obvious, he is often considered Beaucastel's baby. When we look at the soil of Coudoulet, we see that there are many similarities with that of Beaucastel. It is composed of Miocene marine molasse covered by an alpine diluvium. This blanket of rolled pebbles contributes a lot to Beaucastel wines: It stores the intense heat of the Mediterranean sun during the day and slowly releases it to the vines during the night. This allows a good start to the vines in spring. During the long Mediterranean summer, the vines can sometimes be subjected to water stress.
However, the Beaucastel vineyard has built its resistance during these 30 years of organic cultivation, which allows the vines to survive these periods of drought without too much problem. In addition, thanks to the porous and aerated soil, the Beaucastel vines have developed a root system that penetrates deeply into the soil and allows a good search for water.
Coudoulet like Beaucastel, owes its ability to age to the large proportion of Mourvèdre (30%) present in the final cuvée. Mourvèdre brings aromas of leather, tobacco and spices. The vines of Coudoulet and Beaucastel are at the northern limit of the culture of Mourvèdre. Being recognized that the best expression of a grape variety depends on its place of culture.
The other main grape variety, Grenache, gives Coudoulet its roundness and intense fruit, typical of the Côtes du Rhône. Syrah and Cinsault, which each represent 20% of the blend, bring tannins and aromatic complexity to Coudoulet.
After a careful manual harvest, the grapes are brought to the cellar where they undergo the same heating technique as the red wine of Beaucastel. The maceration takes place in tiled vats for about 12 days, the free-run juice is then set aside, the must being lightly pressed using a pneumatic press.
Each grape variety is kept separately until the end of the malolactic fermentation, then comes the assembly. The young wine is aged for 6 months in oak casks. In March following the harvest, the wine is glued to the egg white and bottled.
Grape varieties: Grenache 30%, Mourvèdre 30%, Syrah 20%, Cinsault 20%.
