Château Beauchene Hommage a Odette Bernard Châteauneuf-du-Pape Grande Réserve, 2019

Unique Châteauneuf-du-Pape made on best vintage only 

The robe has a dark garnet red colour, is clear and brilliant. Great aromas of stewed red fruits (blackberries, blackcurrants, plums…) with some notes of undergrowth, cedar and violet on the nose. The palate is rich, complex and balanced. This powerful and subtle wine presents well-integrated silky tannins.

• 16.5 Points, Jancis Robinson Oct 2020
• Aged in French oak demi-muids for 12 to 18 months.

Cellaring Potential: 15 to 20 years.

Food Pairing:  Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, pasta, and cheese.

STORY BEHIND THIS WINE

Michel Bernard wanted to pay tribute to his mother Odette, who devoted herself all her life to the family estate. He has lived in Orange, a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region in southeastern France, since the 17th century. As tenant farmers, the Bernards profited from the social upheavals of the French Revolution, buying their first vineyard soon after the momentous event in 1794. This vineyard is still part of Château Beauchêne but today the property extends to 70 hectares, including vineyards representing three appellations, Châteauneuf du Pape, Côtes du Rhône Villages and Côtes du Rhône. All wines, however, are vinified and matured in Château Beauchêne. Michel Bernard remains in charge of winemaking, working with his wife Dominique Vergniaud and their daughter Amandine Bernard, to create and market their array of impressive wines including Le Terroir. Bernard believes that ‘the character of a vineyard results as much from the history of its terroir as from the personality of the winemakers who fashion it’. He is careful to minimise the use of pesticides saying that a vineyard must be allowed express itself without being forced. ‘Balance between the characteristics of the soil and the capacity of the grape variety, is the only way to preserve the true wealth of a vineyard through generations.’ Read More