2005 Chateau Beaucastel Coudoulet de Beaucastel Cotes du Rhone

Produced from a blend of 30% Grenache, 30% Mouvedre, 20% Syrah and 20% Cinsault the wine was matured for 6 months in large French oak casks. Excellent colour – opaque purple with crimson purple hue. Exotic nose of very ripe raspberry, liquorice, cinnamon, spice and confectionery. The palate is full bodied with a fleshy texture and is already displaying good complexity. Flavours of ripe raspberry, spice, tar, liquorice and blackpepper with just a touch of leather emerging in the background. Well integrated fine grained tannins with long blackpepper, liquorice and raspberry aftertaste. An excellent example of rich, ripe full bodied Cotes du Rhone.
Cellar 3-4 years (2012-2013)
Alc/Vol: 14%

Other Reviews…..
The 2005 Beaucastel Coudoulet Cotes du Rhone is another outstanding example of this Cotes du Rhone made essentially across the border from Chateauneuf du Pape. Notes of tapenade, licorice, smoked herbs, and meat juices interwoven with black cherry and darker fruits are followed by an expansive, broadly flavored, full-bodied wine with no hard edges, gorgeous fruit purity, and a long, spicy, heady finish. This is almost the bottled essence of Provence. Drink it over the next decade or more.
91 points
Robert Parker – The Wine Advocate