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Château de Beaucastel Blanc Roussanne Vieilles Vignes 2011

AOC Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Vallée du Rhône, France

"Dense, with creamy layers of pear, apple, green plum and acacia honey all carried by well-embedded acidity. The long finish lets salted butter, chamomile and macadamia nut flavors unfurl nicely, but there's still plenty in reserve for cellaring."

"The Beaucastel 2011 Roussanne Vieilles Vignes is another remarkable wine. Think of it as the 2010 with more minerality and precision. It has astonishing richness and length as well as massive body with great acidity."

"Doré intense, le reflet vert, le nez se confit de nèfle, citron et d’amande. La bouche semble n’être que rondeur, c’est sans compter sur l’amertume racée de la réglisse, le souffle iodé qui semble surgir d’un lointain passé, sur l’acidité de l’agrume, rondeur de miel, acacia et oranger, fleur de tilleul et accents de vanille. Laurent Deconninck nous y associe une queue de homard charnue et nerveuse, délicate- ment ointe d’argan, relevé d’un soupçon de gingembre et de piment thaï, on croit rêver..."

"The Châteauneuf-du-Pape Roussanne Vieilles Vignes, from 100% old vine Roussanne, is the Montrachet of southern France. The 2011 is sensational, a wine of great complexity, intensity and full-bodied power. Lots of rose petal, marmalade, honeysuckle, candle wax, tangerine and orange rind notes make up this fabulously rich, intense wine that just blows me away every time i taste it in its youth. Whether it ages well or not is always debatable, but i would certainly drink it over the next 4-5 years, given the fact that it is so remarkable already. "

"This is the famous all-Roussanne cuvée. It seemed scented, quite oaky, rich, very full bodied and had markedly low acidity. I persuaded myself it was a Viognier, possibly from outside Europe. A particularly blustering Yalumba perhaps?"

"La robe jaune or est brillante. L’olfaction est intense et très séduisante, avec des arômes de pêches (chair et noyaux), d’oranges, de citron, d’amande amère, d’herbes aromatiques (dont le romarin) d’épices douces (gingembre), et des notes de miel d’acacia. L’attaque est haute, d’une pure et délicieuse douceur tactile, le vin prend de l’ampleur et du volume (encore plus accentués le lendemain), dans un admirable corps charnu agrémenté de fruits intenses, finement épicés. La finale est longue, autoritaire, pure, précise, très harmonieuse (très bonne fraîcheur), intense et complexe dans son expression aromatique, avec de très légers amers (peaux de fruits et noyaux), très saline dans son ultime sensation. "

"Extravagant is the word for this wine, from its sweet oral scents to its saturated texture. A blend of 80 percent roussanne and twenty percent grenache blanc fermented in tank, it’s like an eternal well of avor, juicy, oral, herbal and spicy. The acidity rides through the avors like and electric current, invisibly energizing the wine, and promising to hold it strong while it mellows in the cellar. It is delicious now for a celebratory meal, but should be even more compelling in another six to twelve years, when the minerality has had more time to assert its presence."