#62 Wine Spectator Top 100 (2001 edition - 1999 vintage)
Winemaker notes!
Cultivation: Biodynamic & Organic
This Côtes du Rhône is full of fresh, juicy red fruit and a refreshing floral note. Its smoothness, freshness and delicate characteristics offer immediate pleasure. 
The vines flourish in a stony limestone clay soil and find their full expression thanks to certified organic and biodynamic agriculture.
Blend: Grenache 70% • Syrah 30%
 
In 1344, it was reported to the Pope living in Avignon that "the principal vineyards are Bois Renard, Blacquieres, Bois de Senechaux, Cabrieres, Carbonnieres, Colombis, and Mont Redon." The Coulon family has farmed that area named Bois Renard since they purchased it in 1695; seven generations of dedication, meticulous care, and excellence. Adding vineyards over the past 300 years, Domaine de Beaurenard is now 74 acres of Chateauneuf du Pape in several parcels, and over 60 acres of Côtes du Rhône located primarily in Rasteau.
Domaine de Beaurenard is a southern Rhône wine estate with a lengthy family history. It is primarily known for its red Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines which comprise all of the allowable 13 grape varieties but is predominantly made from Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre.
The domaine has been family-owned and operated for the last seven generations and is mentioned in records as far back as 1695, when it was known as 'Bois Renard'. This name is now given to Beaurenard's top wines – small-production Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines in both red and white expressions, made from parcels of the estate's oldest vines.
The estate covers 32 hectares (79 acres) of organically and biodynamically farmed vineyards in Châteauneuf-du-Pape with an average vine age of 45 years. Another 25 hectares (61 acres) in the Rasteau appellation are planted on slopes and terraces with south-facing exposures.
The grapes are all hand-harvested and sorted before a long average fermentation with native yeasts that can last up to 35 days. Beaurenard has been bottling its own wines since the early 20th Century.
Grenache is the most important variety, accounting for roughly 70 percent of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape blends and 80 percent of the Rasteau. The white Châteauneauf-du-Pape blends are made from Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Bourboulenc, Roussanne and small amounts of Picpoul and Picardan.