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Babylons Peak Paardeberg Shiraz is made from 100 percent Shiraz. 

Babylon's Peak winery, situated on the highest weathered granite slopes of the Paardeberg Mountain, is privately owned by the Basson family who has passed down the tradition, passion and art of winemaking over four generations. Predominantly low-yield dryland bushvines are selected to produce these excellent wines with distinctive character.

A classic Shiraz with dark fruit, violets and white pepper. An elegant wine with ripe tannins and a lingering aftertaste.

The grapes were harvested by hand. The grapes were destalked only, no crushing was done. Cold maceration was done before fermentation started in open fermenters. The grapes fermented between 24-26°C for 5-7 days, after which the wine was taken to barrels where it went through malolactic fermentation. After malolactic fermentation was completed, the wine spent 14 months in 225 litre French oak barrels until bottling.

Pairs with rich and creamy meat dishes eg. oxtail and venison.

Wow, this fragrance is deeply moving. There's a veritable firework of minerality, a very fine, sophisticated reduction, all carried by noble citrus freshness. Pure refinement on the palate . This is a delicate little plant, but with a power in the background that shouldn't be underestimated. The wine caresses the palate and indulges it with noble aromas, its incredible character enveloped in a creamy, smooth texture. An aromatic dream, this is truly classy, ​​reminiscent of the great wines of Coche-Dury from this vineyard – even if the reduction is a bit more subtle, but perhaps even more sophisticated.

A blend of fruit from estate-owned, small parcels in the high altitude village of Saint-Romain.
Aromas of crushed stones, lemon zest, crisp apricot, wildflowers. Medium-bodied, fresh, lively.

A blend of fruit from estate-owned, small parcels in the high altitude village of Saint-Romain.
Aromas of crushed stones, lemon zest, crisp apricot, wildflowers. Medium-bodied, fresh, lively.

Beatus began with a dream and a friendship. Our dream was to make wine in Châteauneuf du Pape, one of the first regions to inspire the desire to pursue winemaking in general, and of working with Grenache in particular.

We developed a long-standing friendship with Anne-Charlotte Melia-Bachas, Proprietor of Chateau de la Font du Loup, who approached us with the idea to craft a wine together a number of years ago.

This has all come to fruition with Beatus, a wine that we have decided to make ongoing, every year — since tasting the exciting results of the first vintage in barrel.

The vineyard parcel selected for this wine is a single plot of 80-year old Grenache at the top of La Crau in Châteauneuf du Pape, the highest location in the AOC. It sits on a north-facing slope that helps guard against the sometimes intense summer heat that can affect the surrounding areas.

This plot is called “Le Poteau” and has been generously granted to us by Anne-Charlotte as the core of this wine, with supplementation of Syrah and Mourvèdre from surrounding parcels also grown on the Chateau de la Font du Loup estate, to round out the blend.

The winemaking is directed by myself and carried out by Anne-Charlotte, Stéphane Dupuy d’Angeac and their team. It is our hope to bring you one of the finest expressions of Grenache from this special region each and every vintage.

Yields from this block are very small due to the age of the vines, therefore only up to 100 cases of Beatus will be produced each year, depending on the conditions of the vintage.

Our first release was in November of 2022.

– Winemaker Todd Alexander

Review:

"The 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape is mostly very old vine Grenache (there are small amounts of Syrah and Mourvedre) from the sandy soils of the Le Poteau parcel in the Font du Loup lieu-dit. It saw a touch of whole clusters in the ferments and, I suspect, was brought up in neutral vessels. It’s as seamless as they come, offering a classic nose of red and black berry fruits, Provençal garrigue, spice box, and loamy earth. This medium to full-bodied beauty has wonderful complexity, ultra-fine tannins, no hard edges, and a great, great finish. While it's already drinking great today, it should easily evolve for 10-15 years. It's a seriously good bottle of Châteauneuf du Pape!"

Jeb DUNNUCK, 95 Points

 The word "Balade" is French for wandering.  This is a fitting term for our annual exploration of single-vineyard Pinot Noir & Chardonnay blocks on the west coast.  Each vintage, we will bottle only the most compelling and nuanced expression of pinot noir from a single selected vineyard and release it as a limited bottling.