On the northern part of the valley, the prestigious appellations COTE ROTIE and, HERMITAGE, extending on mostly granitic soils.
In the south of the Rhone valley, CHATEAUNEUF du PAPE is the other natural boundary of that area.
between them, one can find CORNAS, St PERAY, GIGONDAS, RASTEAU, CONDRIEU, CHATEAU GRILLET, SAINT JOSEPH or VACQUEYRAS...
If that area is mainly propicious to the achievement of great red wines, the production of the white wines is more than significative, mostly in CONDRIEU and CHATEAU GRILLET, two vineyards of excellence.
But, in the Rhone Valley, as elsewhere, the reputations are made by the producers themselves, more than the name of the appellations.
HATEAU DE BEAUCASTEL Red 2006
Quite compact, intensive colour, deep, with lovely purplish glints. On the nose, this wine reveals to be "talkative", full of powerful aromas of blackberries, spices, leather too, and some floral hints that could almost be violets. What a lovely nose !!
In the mouth, there is no deception, and we are in the sameregister than with the nose, giving a spirited impression, with a richness and a balance which are remarkable. The muth is really filled with that wine, and there is neither aromatic deviation, nor excess of alcohol or tannins.
This is an EXCELLENT wine, with a long finish, that is surprisingly really approachable now in its youth, whereas a 15 year cellaring will be necessary for it to express its full potential.
But why should we resist to such amount of immediate pleasure??
49,80 Euros ttc/Btle (41.60 HT)
The myth of CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE...
For so many years, people used to say taht in Chateauneuf, there was RAYAS and the other domains. But some winemakers took the inspiration from the methods that made this domain so famous. But they haven't got the same siliceous terroir nor the same old vines.
After having praised to the skies the fame of that domain, Jacques REYNAUD suddenly passed out one morning of January 1997, and Emmanuel needed to be so courageous and talented to assume this heavy charge.
Step after step, he succeeded in imposing his style without denying anything of the principles that contributed to make the worldly success of Chateau RAYAS.
The headlight domain for the Rhone Valley...Quite an empire that Marcel GUIGAL created, with a masterword that has never changed: Excellence.
His style has imposed and now shines throughout the world.
His prestigious cuvées mkae people crazy, each year, on the 1st of February, and the wines lovers are always sad not to obtain as many of them they would like to.
They are for HERMITAGE what GUIGAL is for COTE ROTIE...the supreme and uncontested reference !
A clever blend of miscellaneous parcels whose quite various characteristics make an exceptional wine, rich, deep and sappy, a true signature of that exceptional terroir of HERMITAGE.
For both red and white wines the success and the know-how are exceptional. You must drink them to believe it !