Among the great icons of French white wine, the Roussanne Vieilles Vignes 2024 - Château de Beaucastel - Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC stands out as a masterpiece of texture and harmony. From a single plot planted in 1919 just behind the château, this 100% Roussanne combines southern generosity with crystalline precision. The 2024 vintage delivers an expression of rare intensity, with a deep golden colour and a bouquet that blends ripe quince, white flowers, toasted bread, spices and crushed stone. Production is deliberately limited—around 6000 bottles—and it has earned top recognition with a 98/100 score. This cuvée is for those seeking more than a great wine: a true experience of texture, breadth and aromatic depth. For gourmets it opens up a range of delightful pairings; for collectors it offers astonishing aging potential, 20 to 30 years, with a peak to explore between 2025 and 2054. From the very first nose you perceive the Beaucastel signature: the art of vinifying Roussanne by giving it time, attention and precise élevage that reveal its golden grace without overwhelming it. A sunlit white that never overreaches, a wine of silence and amplitude that accompanies long conversations and well-lived tables.

Assemblage et vinification

As a single-variety cuvée, the Roussanne Vieilles Vignes is made exclusively from the very old Roussanne vines of the estate's historic parcel planted in 1919. Grapes are hand-harvested at full ripeness and sorted with haute couture-level care to preserve the integrity of the berries. Winemaking respects the nobility of the fruit without forcing it. Maturation takes place in barrels and demi-muids for 8 months, with 50% new oak, to bring structure, depth and a finely tuned aromatic patina. This alchemy delivers a subtle balance between density and freshness, allowing the cuvée to unfold a complex register while expressing the mineral framework that signs the terroir. The parcel, located just behind the château, gives this Roussanne a luminous energy and a mouthwatering persistence that runs through the Beaucastel style. Here, the wood is a setting, never a mask: it sculpts texture and enhances length, producing a wine built on grace and endurance.

Notes de dégustation

• Colour: Deep, luminous gold with strong highlights and a pure shine announcing rich texture and exemplary ripeness.
• Nose: Expansive palette of ripe quince, white flowers, toasted bread, warm spices, apricot kernel and crushed stone. With aeration, warm brioche, light honey and citrus zest emerge, with a hint of smokiness.
• Palate: Enveloping attack with a broad, satiny texture. A deep mid-palate supported by perfectly integrated acidity that stretches the wine without hardening it. Nuances of peach, candied apricot, fine honey, brioche and a delicate noble bitterness, lifted by subtle salinity. An interminable, precise and sculpted finish.

Température de service et conseils

Serve this cuvée lightly chilled in large white wine glasses to reveal its aromatic layers and caressing texture. An early opening will highlight its floral and yellow fruit bouquet—decant gently when young if you wish to enhance its volume and mellow the élevage. For cellaring, prefer a stable, cool, dark cellar: the bottle will gain complexity over the years, revealing more fine honey, brioche nuances and a more pronounced spicy dimension. At the table, choose precise cuisine without harshness or aggressive spices to preserve the Roussanne's sovereign balance. Its harmonious architecture—ample yet refined—allows it to accompany haute cuisine as well as purer preparations focused on product clarity.

Accords mets et vin

• Aperitifs: caviar, Comté gougères, delicate fish rillettes with citrus.
• Starters: scallop carpaccio, lobster roasted in clarified butter, just-seared langoustines.
• Main courses: turbot with a light sauce, farm-raised poultry with truffle, morel risotto with reduced jus.
• Cheeses: old Comté, alpine Beaufort, aged pressed-cooked tomme.
• Desserts: thin apricot tart, honey-vanilla almond entremets, candied citrus with a slight bitterness.

Moments de dégustation

The Roussanne Vieilles Vignes 2024 is the ideal companion:

• To honour a formal dinner where seasonal cuisine meets precise front-of-house service.
• At a special occasion with loved ones, when time stands still and conversation lingers.
• As an exceptional gift for an enthusiast curious about Roussanne at its peak, seeking a long-lived wine.

Caractéristiques

• Name: Roussanne Vieilles Vignes 2024 - Château de Beaucastel - Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC
• Appellation: Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC
• Type: Still white wine
• Vintage: 2024
• Grape variety: Roussanne 100%
• Alcohol: 14%
• Ageing: 8 months in barrels and demi-muids with 50% new oak
• Volume: 75 cl
• Cellaring: 20 to 30 years, tasting window 2025 to 2054
• Production: about 6000 bottles, scored 98/100