2016 Vinsobres Les Cornuds

A smoking value, the 2016 Vinsobres Les Cornuds is a spicy, cedary, and peppery effort that has classic garrigue and saddle leather notes, medium body, ripe tannin, and a good finish. It's a terrific wine that sells for a great price. One of the old guards of the region, Château de Beaucastel is nevertheless one of the most progressive and forward-thinking estates out there. They have a wealth of old vine Mourvèdre planted in the northern part of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and have purchased heavily in the cooler appellation of Gigondas. They’ve broken the lineup into their Château de Beaucastel releases for the estate wines from Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and several additional cuvées released under their Famille Perrin label. Looking at the 2016s, these wines remind me of how the 2001s tasted on release. They are some of the finest wines in the vintage as well as ever made at the estate. These are classic, concentrated, yet perfectly balanced wines that will benefit from bottle age. In contrast, the 2017s are also brilliant but more forward and charming, and I suspect the preponderance of clay soils at this estate helped dramatically with keeping the vines ripening grapes as opposed to shutting down during this hot, dry vintage.