Chateau Beauchene Cotes Du Rhone Blanc Viognier 2023 (750ml)

 

Chateau Beauchene Cotes du Rhone Blanc Viognier 2023

 

Grape Variety:  100% Viognier

 

Age of The Vines:  8 – 25 Years

 

The terroir and the "microclimate" enjoyed by the Viognier grape provide everything it needs to flourish.  Once finished its fermentation and its ageing in barrels, it gratifies us with a charming style: the mouth is a swirl of flavors of vanilla, candied mandarin and apricots, or even exotic fruits supported by delicate tannins of tea leaves and a final full of freshness.

 

Tasting Notes

 

Eye:  Beautiful bright yellow color with golden reflections

 

Nose:  Bouquet of roasted almonds and ripe apricots with delicate woody notes

 

Palate:  Fresh and long on the palate, this wine of great finesse develops aromas of white peach, apricot and vanilla

 

Vineyard’s Situation

 

Located north of Orange, the Côtes du Rhône plots are backed by a hill of “Coniacian” limestones dating from the secondary era (65 M years).  Some Viognier plots are located on gravelly alluvial terraces brought by the Aygues river.

 

Farming Mode

 

High Environmental Value Certification:  Respect and preservation of biodiversity, protection of the vineyard by Bio-control methods.

 

Winemaking

 

• Direct pressing
• Fermentation and aging in French oak barrels for 5 to 6 months.

 

Viognier Grape Variety

 

Viognier is for those who love to stop and smell the flowers.  Viognier ranges in taste from lighter flavors of tangerine, mango and honeysuckle to creamier aromas of vanilla with spices of nutmeg and clove.  Depending on the producer and how it’s made, it will range in intensity from light and spritzy with a touch of bitterness to bold and creamy.  If you like Chardonnay you’ll like the weight of Viognier and notice it’s often a little softer on acidity, a bit lighter and also more perfumed.

 

On the palate, the wines are typically dry although some producers will make a slightly off-dry style that embellishes Viognier’s peachy aromas.  Viognier wines are almost always noted for an oily sensation on the middle of the tongue which is a characteristic of wines made with this grape.  The drier styles come across less fruity on the palate and deliver subtle bitterness almost like crunching into a fresh rose petal.

 

 

Château Beauchêne

 

The Bernard Family

 

Michel Bernard comes from a family of winegrowers present in the city of Orange since the 17th century.  “Ménagers” (i.e. farmers) until the end of the 18th century, his ancestors became owner/Winemakers after the Revolution (1794).

 

With his wife, Dominique, they took over the family estate in 1971 and have continued to improve and develop it since.

 

Today, their daughters, Amandine and Estelle, have joined them on the Estate, continuing the family tradition.  They represent the 11th generation of the family working on the estate ...

 

The Vineyard

 

The wines of come from exceptional terroirs located to the north and south of the city of Orange.

 

To the south, the alluvial terraces of rolled quartz pebbles and sandy red clay enhance our Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red and White as well as our Côtes-du-Rhône "Le Terroir".

 

To the north, our Côtes du Rhône Villages and Côtes du Rhône, express the typicality of the “Coniacian” limestone terraces dating from the secondary era (65M years), the sandy-stony hillsides or even the gravelly alluvial terraces brought by the river Aygues.

 

In order to respond to climate changes and drought, we have been, for 40 years, renewing part of the vineyard while reinforcing the typicity of the wines of Château Beauchêne with grape varieties expressing even better the strength, finesse and elegance that characterize our style.

 

Cellar & Vinification

 

The vinification cellar, partly underground, allows the development of our different vintages, under ideal technical conditions, adapted to the expression of our different terroirs.

 

The old cellar of the Château, vaulted, benefits from an ideal humidity and regularity of temperature for the ageing of wines in barrels (barrels and demi-muids).

 

The slow and continuous penetration of oxygen through the wood (redox) improves the gustatory qualities, the expression of the aromatic potential and stabilizes the colouring matters, while softening the tannins.

 

Environment and HEV (High Environmental Value)

 

The character of a wine estate is due as much to the history of its terroir as to the personality of the winegrowers who shaped it.

 

Attached to their land, the several generations of winegrowers in the Bernard Family have always known that the vines must be looked after in order for them to have a long life, and being most suitable for optimal quality.  Some of the family's plots date from 1901 just after the phylloxera crisis.  Allowing a vine to express itself without forcing it, with a fair balance between the characteristics of the terroir and the capacities of the grape variety, is the only way to preserve the true richness of a vineyard through the generations.

 

We have been working intensively for several years on agronomic methods that take into account the environment and health: preservation of the ecosystem and its biodiversity (grass cover, fauna / flora refuge areas), installation of apiaries which serve as ecological indicators and honey harvest, controlled protection of the vineyard, absence of irrigation and control of soil fertility.

 

The HEV (High Environmental Value) certification is an extension of this work.  It promotes and shows credit to our good environmental practices.  This is a voluntary process, resulting from the ecological national commitments by the French Government.  Level 3, the most demanding, was certified in December 2018.

 

The family makes a point to use as little phytosanitary products as possible; Château Beauchêne is fortunate to be located in a region blessed by the Gods where Sun and Mistral improve the climate and reduce the need for treatment.