Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape 2009

96 Points - Decanter    The nose is tightly wound for now, but shows fresh black fruits and an underlying herbal seam. It's full-bodied but immediately lifted and fresh on the palate, with powerful fruit and a dense lattice of ripe tannins. It is beautifully textured, very straight in style, with great length and energy. It's already very well integrated and balanced. Tight, refreshing, mineral and intense. A truly excellent Beaucastel.

96 Points - Jeb Dunnuck     The 2009 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape had just been bottled at the time of the tasting but you wouldn’t know it by tasting it. A blend of 30% Mourvèdre, 30% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 10% Counoise, and 20% assorted varieties, the wine delivers a superb aromatic display of kirsch and black cherry-like fruits to go with a solid dose of underlying meat, truffle, earth, and leather. 

96 Points - Wine Spectator    One of the more endowed 2009s, this is packed with dark smoldering cocoa, mesquite, tobacco and roasted fig notes, all inlaid with pure cassis and plum preserves fruit flavors. Long and authoritative on the finish, with singed vanilla bean and tar adding length and dimension. *Collectibles*

94 Points - James Suckling     A very warm year, this has extremely expressive Grenache fruits, raspberry, some honey and a lithe juicy core. There's a late creeping wave of smooth tannins. Darker plum fruits exude power through the finish. Stunning wine from a very ripe vintage. 

94 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate     The 2009 Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape is reminiscent of their brilliant 1985. It will be one of the rare Beaucastels that is drinkable upon release. Made from this estate’s classic blend, it possesses soft tannins as well as a silky, open-knit seductiveness, a dense plum/purple color and a beautiful perfume of smoky Provencal herbs intermixed with grilled steak juices, garrigue, kirsch and blue as well as black fruits. The wine is full-bodied, unctuously textured, and silky smooth (the latter characteristic being somewhat atypical for a young Beaucastel).