WTN: Château Beaucastel 1998 - an underperformer?

Châteauneuf du Pape 1998 – Château de Beaucastel – Alc.13.5%

This wine seems to divide opinion, some finding it delicious with lots of red fruit and spice as well as power and depth whilst others feel disappointment as I do on this showing. There is even a theory that there are two distinct bottlings out there. Here is my take and I would interested to hear other experiences.

Served with a venison stew marinated in Saumur-Champigny on New Years Day. Deep colour. Nose developing pleasing notes of fine varnish. Palate showed a lot of power, depth and richness balanced by decent acidity but without a lot of primary fruit and, apart from the pleasing varnish, a palette of mainly dark colours such as tar and bitter chocolate with good tannic structure and decent length. It went well with the stew but it was too much of a bruiser to be the sort of wine about which I enthuse; I would have welcomed a touch of the estate's famous brett to add a dimension. We did not finish the bottle. I'm not sure where this wine is going. Is it drying out or coming together? About 16/20 right now but I expect more from mature Beaucastel. (BTW impeccable cork so no problems there.)

[Jenise]

Tim, I'm pretty well calibrated with your palate, so I have to go with your "two versions" theory because the '98's I've been privileged to taste (never owned any myself) have been poster children for Why We Love Beaucastel. Two or three bottles in the last three years did not lack primary fruit nor did they lack an interesting funky element though none were heavily bretted the way Beaucastel can be.

Two or three bottles in the last three years did not lack primary fruit nor did they lack an interesting funky element though none were heavily bretted the way Beaucastel can be.

My notes are similar to yours, Jenise, though the last time I had it was almost 2 years ago at a fine, fine dinner with special wines (paired it with some pigeon and cassoulet):

1998 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape - Vince's bottle, by one of the most highly regarded producers of the southern Rhône. 1998 is one of the best recent Rhône vintages, along with 2001. I, personally, find that '98 CdPs mature materially slower than '01s. That said, this bottle seems to already be beginning its stride.

Admirable structure in this, lots of baked, meaty dark fruit with great breadth, power and grip - hints of violet and wood infused in the fruit and a touch of garrigue peeking from underneath. This is no mindless fruit bomb, the wine shows marked balance in its fruit, acidity and tannins. Earthy, but to a much lesser extent than the two previously discussed wines. Very good push in this.

A few noted the absence of barnyard/gamey notes Beaucastel is known for. The Stockbroker explained that the wine is probably too young to have developed the same. Personally, I loved this wine the most as a pairing for the pigeon; it had the push, youthful muscle and fullness of fruit to counterpoint the dish's inherent earthiness. Many, many years of life in this wine. I enjoyed the aged Burgundy and Bordeaux more on their own and happily ate with this wine.

[David M. Bueker]

The 1998 Beaucastel is unusual in that it has more Grenache than normal for the wine. Also, there is much less brett in Beaucastel since about the '98 vintage. Try the 2000 or 2001 and you'll find none, while the '95, '96 and '97 had it from release. I think they cleaned up the cellar a bit.

I last had the '98 in fall 2007, and it was incredibly youthful.

The animal/gamey notes could also be attributable to the mourvèdre component - not necessarily only brett. I detected said notes in the 2005 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel (Paso Robles, 44% mourvèdre like Beaucastel itself), not really in their 2006 version - but I only tasted the latter in a long line-up and drank through a bottle of the former over a long lunch. Of course, one can always speculate that the Tablas Creek venture also has a touch of brett, but I wouldn't have any idea about that - I somehow doubt it though.

[David M. Bueker]

If it's the Mourvedre, and thus less of same in the '98 meant less funk, then it would have come back with more typical assemblage in later years. It hasn't.

If it's the Mourvedre, and thus less of same in the '98 meant less funk, then it would have come back with more typical assemblage in later years. It hasn't.

I am aware of that (assuming there are really no animal notes in the later vintages you mention - I have gone through some too but cannot offhand remember now - I will have to refer to my notes later), that is why I said:

The animal/gamey notes could also be attributable to the mourvèdre component - not necessarily only brett....

If you meant to say it can only be attributable to brett, then that would necessarily apply to Tablas Creek's 2005 Esprit de Beaucastel, would it not? - and that said hypothetical brett would have been cleaned up by their 2006 vintage? I, myself, wouldn't make such broad statements without more solid basis.