This is a magnificent white wine, probably the best white in the entire Rhone Valley. A full-bodied wine made with the Roussanne grape. The nose is intense with aromas of beeswax, honey, ripe apricot. Full-bodied, rich, almost oily in the mouth. Very long finish. The wine has a great ageing potential and this 1991 is still, after 20 years, vibrantly fresh and even youthful.
Vieilles vignes indicates that the vines are old. These are Beaucastel’s oldest vines, between 80 and 100 years old. Part of the wine is aged in the tank and part in oak barrels. Production is tiny 500 cases per year.
Châteauneuf-du-Pape has a very small, exclusive production of white wines. Prices are high but also white wines from other appellations in the southern Rhone Valley, like Lirac or regular Cotes du Rhone, are worth of looking for. The grapes used are mainly Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Marsanne, Roussanne, Bourboulenc and Viognier.
