Walls: a drink with Château de Beaucastel's César Perrin

The Perrin family of Château de Beaucastel in Châteauneuf-du-Pape have always been ahead of the curve when it comes to sustainable viticulture.

They converted their 100ha estate to organics as early as 1950; biodynamics in 1974. And when it comes to facing the climate crisis, they’re not standing still; refurbishing cellars, planting trees, championing ancient varieties and developing new techniques in the vineyard.

Winemaker César Perrin explains…

‘The main reason we decided to construct a new cellar was to reduce the amount of energy we use. The climate is warming and every year we’re having to ramp up the cooling system. At three metres underground, however, the temperature stays between 12 and 14 degrees all year round naturally, so we wanted to make the most of these cool conditions by moving our cellar below ground.’

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores for six Château de Beaucastel wines

‘We’ve built two huge subterranean tanks to fill with rainwater. We can chill the water using energy created by solar panels and keep the cellar cool with a system of windmills worked by the mistral. And we’re using all the earth that’s dug out to build new walls.’

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