2007 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Château de Beaucastel

In many of the red wines from Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the powerful Grenache grape leads the way. At the world-famous Château de Beaucastel, all 13 permitted Rhône grapes contribute to make an outstanding Châteauneuf-du-Pape which is complex, dark and extremely age-worthy thanks to the higher proportion of the late-ripening Mourvèdre grape.

"Ruby-red. Blackberry and cassis on the nose, with a complex set of earth, herb and floral qualities adding complexity. Deep and sweet, with bitter cherry and candied licorice flavors and youthfully firm tannins but no hardness. Turns more lively on the finish, picking up a spicy red berry character and leaving a long, pungent herbal trail behind".
Vinous.com (previous vintage)

"Reminiscent of the 1995, the 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape is tight, structured and backward, with high acidity and tannin. Showing notes of blackcurrants, black raspberry, truffle, damp earth and cedar, with medium to full-bodied richness and depth, it needs another 3-5 years to reach the early stages of maturity, at which point it will hold for another decade or more."
95 points, The Wine Advocate (previous vintage)