Another excellent vintage from the Perrin Family, Beaucastel is one of the most recognized names in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Beaucastel has been on a roll producing some very fine wines especially the last couple of vintages. The 2017 is another great effort, concentrated, complex, and more forward for earlier drinking. That being said the '17 still has good aging potential but won't need as much time in the cellar. Drink the 2017s sooner to tide you over while the 2016 waits patiently in the cellar, that's what on our agenda at least. Solid Notes below by

Jeb Dunnuck 95-97 points! "Moving to the two Châteauneuf-du-Pape releases and 35% Mourvèdre, 25% Grenache, 8% Syrah, 12% Counoise, the rest other permitted varieties (Marc calls this a Mourvèdre vintage), the 2017 Châteauneuf-du-Pape sports an inky purple color as well as a textbook Mourvèdre nose of black, black fruits, smoked meats, crushed rocks, charcoal, and pepper. It's deep and full-bodied, with beautiful purity and building structure. Production is down 40%, but this brilliant wine is certainly in the same league as the 2016. One of the old guards of the region, Château de Beaucastel is nevertheless one of the most progressive and forward-thinking estates out there. They have a wealth of old vine Mourvèdre planted in the northern part of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and have purchased heavily in the cooler appellation of Gigondas. They’ve broken the lineup into their Château de Beaucastel releases for the estate wines from Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and several additional cuvées released under their Famille Perrin label. Looking at the 2016s, these wines remind me of how the 2001s tasted on release. They are some of the finest wines in the vintage as well as ever made at the estate. These are classic, concentrated, yet perfectly balanced wines that will benefit from bottle age. In contrast, the 2017s are also brilliant but more forward and charming, and I suspect the preponderance of clay soils at this estate helped dramatically with keeping the vines ripening grapes as opposed to shutting down during this hot, dry vintage."

Wine Advocate (Joe Czerwinski) 93-95 points! "The full-bodied, dense 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape seems a bit closed at the moment, but Asian five spice powder still brings plenty of complexity and nuance to the rich, dark fruit aromas and flavors. Multidimensional, layered and long, this is another terrific vintage for Beaucastel's main cuvée, perhaps falling just slightly behind the 2016 and 2018."