Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2006

95 points Robert Parker: "As I stated last year, there is no Hommage a Jacques Perrin in 2006, but Beaucastel’s 2006 Chateauneuf du Pape is performing even better from bottle than it did last year. Its dense plum/ruby/purple color is followed by a big, sweet perfume of black truffles, camphor, earth, incense, new saddle leather, and loads of peppery, blackberry, and herb-infused, meaty, black cherry fruit. Deep, full-bodied, and dense, with sweet tannin, this explosively rich Chateauneuf is a stronger effort than the 2005, 2004, or 2003. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2028. (Oct 2008)"

95 points Josh Raynolds (Vinous): "The 2006 Beaucastel shows the textbook character of a mature Châteauneuf-du-Pape. It has expansive raspberry and cherry scents with suggestions of succulent herbs, pungent flowers, cigar box and just a hint of earth. Given the high percentage of Mourvèdre (almost a third of the blend), I would have thought that the earthy aspect would have been more pronounced, but that is not the case here. The 2006 is silky in texture, and the suave blend of depth and energy highlights its red fruit along with floral pastille and baking spice flavors. It finishes extremely long and precise, with superb clarity and just a hint of finely polished tannins adding gentle grip. Beaucastel often shows some gamy character when the wines are young; however, the 2006 did not in barrel nor after it was bottled, and there’s no trace of it now. I noted almost twelve years ago that this was a wine that “beguiles rather than brutalizes”, and I’m happy with that assessment today. Readers lucky enough to have bought the 2006 Beaucastel on release got great value compared to the where bottles that just arrived on the market are priced today, yet the 2006 is actually quite fairly priced for a 15-year-old, world-class wine that comes direct from the winery’s cellars. Drink: 2021-2028. (Sep 2021)"

95 points Wine Spectator: "Powerful, with a round, almost creamy core of blackberry and raspberry fruit all layered with cocoa, sweet toast, mesquite and fig paste. Long and rich through the finish. Still quite primal, with lots in reserve. Best from 2010 through 2030. (4/30/09)"

95 points Bettane & Desseauve's Guide to the Wines of France: "A very pure wine, precise and direct: the bouquet is fresh and complex, with fullness and beautifully present structure. The combination is supple, with no stiffness. Great potential. Drink: 2011 up to 2025. (2011)"

94+ points Jeb Dunnuck (Rhone Report): "A fantastic wine, the 2006 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape fleshes out with air and displays deep, earthy aromatics of dark fruit, roasted meat, graphite, mushroom and old wood. In the mouth, the wine displays a medium to full bodied, structure personality to go with a fantastic texture, concentrated fruit and a long finish. If drinking anytime soon this needs plenty of air. (Aug 2009)"

93 points Josh Raynolds (International Wine Cellar): "Vivid ruby. Spicy, finely etched red berry and cherry aromas are complicated by fresh lavender, herbs and minerals. The palate offers tangy raspberry and cherry skin flavors, with gentle tannins adding shape. Impressively pure, even delicate, with outstanding finishing clarity and length. This beguiles rather than brutalizes; I underestimated it last year. (Jan/Feb 2009)"

****(*) John Livingstone-Learmonth (The Cradle of The Rhône): "(aged large barrel 18 months, fined, unfiltered). Pretty red colour, bright plum. This shows a softly herbal air, very much on the garrigue, so fennel, Provence in the glass, is present, the bouquet curved. The 2007 is more direct. The palate also has a soft, plump middle – the word “gras” is very much in play here – a wine that is founded on steady, well-set richness. There are smoky, cedar, flinty late moments, the breadth is attractive. I find some Mourvèdre-Syrah darkness in it. The length is savoury, the gras is running freely. Less “serious” and multi-layered than the 2007, and will not run as far as that, either. The aftertaste is minty, chalky. This is a juicy, willing wine that is great with lamb – fat enough for that, for instance. It is very ensemble, and shows richly with hand line caught local yellow fin tuna – this brings out elegant length. 14.5°. “This needed a high sorting of the grapes, while the Indian summer helped the Mourvèdre. It is an elegant wine, less rich and tannic than the 2007,” Pierre Perrin. 2027-30 May 2011, Maldives."