In the vineyard
Beaucastel has 130 hectares in total, of which 100 are planted with vines at any time (the remaining 30 hectares are farmed with rotating crops; each year they plough up a couple of hectares of vines and re-plant the equivalent area).
Farmed organically and biodynamically, the vineyards are planted to all 13 of the region’s permitted grapes – Mourvèdre (30%), Grenache (30%), Syrah (15%), Cinsault (5%), Vaccarèse, Counoise, Terret Noir, Muscardin, Clairette, Picpoul, Picardin, Bourboulenc and Roussanne (the remaining 10%).
They are spread over one single plot on the north-eastern edge of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation, near the town of Courthézon. With the region’s typical galet stones and limestone soils, the site is particularly exposed to the Mistral wind, leading to more water evaporating from the berries, concentrating the fruit even more.
Despite the château’s relatively large holdings, only a miniscule proportion is used to produce Hommage à Jacques Perrin – a single plot called Courrieux planted in 1909, which is mainly Mourvèdre.
In the winery
For the reds, all the fruit is all de-stemmed, with the berries fermented whole to reduce the risk of oxidation in temperature-controlled vats.
All 10 varieties are fermented separately and handled differently depending on whether they are a reductive variety (Syrah and Mourvèdre) or an oxidative variety (Grenache and all the others). The reductive varieties are fermented in oak vats, while the oxidative varieties are fermented in more protective concrete tanks.
Once the wines are blended, they are aged in large old oak foudres – 12 months for the Châteauneuf-du-Pape and six months for their Côtes du Rhône. While Mourvèdre plays a key role in all their reds, it represents up to 80% of the blend for Hommage à Jacques Perrin. The whites are aged in a combination of tank and oak.
