Here we share with you the latest news on Beau Marchais Winery from the wine press. While opinions vary among wine consumers and producers alike over the value of third party endorsements, we view it a bit differently. We’ve come to know many of the wine writers over the years, not as omniscient arbiters of what is good or bad, but as fellow wine lovers who share a common appreciation for the earnest effort to craft something memorable.
Lisa Perrotti Brown - The Wine Independent
www.thewineindependent.com
Beau Marchais is a collaboration between Adam Lee (Clarice Wine Company) and Philippe Cambie, who was a prolific consulting winemaker in Châteauneuf du Pape. Philippe passed away in 2021 and so the 2021 Beau Marchais is the last vintage of this wine.
97 POINTS – 2021 BEAU MARCHAIS CLOS PEPE VINEYARD PINOT NOIR
The 2021 Beau Marchais Pinot Noir from Clos Pepe Vineyard is already bottled and following Philippe Cambie’s protocol the grapes were destemmed and spent 48 days on their skins. The wine was aged in French oak, of which 83.3% was new, for 10 months. It has a medium ruby-purple color and opens with bright, vibrant scents of cranberry, wild blueberries, black raspberries, and licorice, with hints of Ceylon tea and mossy tree bark. Full-bodied, lively, firm and grainy in the mouth, the palate delivers fantastic layers, finishing long.
96 POINTS – 2021 BEAU MARCHAIS SOBERANES VINEYARD SUD PINOT NOIR
The 2021 Beau Marchais Pinot Noir from Soberanes Vineyard Sud is already bottled, having followed Philippe Cambie’s protocol of the destemmed grapes spending 48 days on their skins, before being aged in 100% new French oak for 10 months. The 2021 is the first vintage for a “Sud” bottling and it is medium ruby-purple in color. Wow! – it leaps with bold notes of pomegranate, cherry pie, and raspberry preserves, plus hints of dried roses, cinnamon toast, and charcoal. Full-bodied, firm and chewy with voluptuous fruit and great length.
95 POINTS – 2021 BEAU MARCHAIS SOBERANES VINEYARD NORD PINOT NOIR
The 2021 Beau Marchais Pinot Noir from Soberanes Vineyard Nord is already bottled, with the destemmed grapes having spent 48 days on their skins, following Philippe Cambie’s protocols. The wine was aged in French oak, 50% being new, for 10 months and it is the first and last time there will be a “Nord” bottling. It has a medium ruby-purple color and bursts with a perfume of raspberry preserves, pomegranate, and black cherry compote, followed by suggestions of violets, spearmint, cinnamon stick, and fallen leaves. The palate is full-bodied but fantastically light on its feet, featuring a racy backbone of acidity and very fine-grained tannins to support the bright red and black berry layers, finishing long and fragrant.
96 POINTS – 2020 BEAU MARCHAIS CLOS PEPE VINEYARD EST PINOT NOIR
96 POINTS – 2020 BEAU MARCHAIS CLOS PEPE VINEYARD OUEST PINOT NOIR
Jeb Dunnuck
www.jebdunnuck.com
First produced in 2019, Beau Marchais is a collaboration between California-based Adam Lee (Siduri and Clarice) and Southern Rhône superstar Philippe Cambie. Due to widespread smoke issues in the Santa Lucia Highlands in 2020, Adam opted to only release two Pinot Noirs from the Sta. Rita Hills (which wasn’t affected by smoke) in 2020. The wines are brilliant and well worth seeking out. With the passing of Philippe Cambie in 2021, the 2021 releases will be the last wines produced under this label
96+-94 POINTS 2021 BEAU MARCHAIS CLOS PEPE VINEYARD PINOT NOIR
Wild strawberries, kirsch, flowers, exotic spice, and some sage-like notes all emerge from the 2021 Pinot Noir Clos Pepe Vineyard, a deep, rich, incredibly layered, and textured Pinot Noir offering velvety tannins and a monster of a finish. This is a pure, hedonistic bomb of a Pinot Noir in the making. There will only be a single Pinot Noir from this vineyard this year.
95-93 POINTS 2021 BEAU MARCHAIS SOBERANES VINEYARD SUD PINOT NOIR
The 2021 Pinot Noir Soberanes Vineyard Sud reveals a ruby, translucent hue to go with a spicy, savory nose of red and black fruits, iron, baking spices, and leafy herbs. Rich, medium to full-bodied, and structured, with good concentration on the palate, it will drink nicely right out of the gate yet also evolve for a decade.
94-92 POINTS 2021 BEAU MARCHAIS SOBERANES VINEYARD NORD PINOT NOIR
The 2021 Pinot Noir Soberanes Vineyard Nord is more perfumed, with exotic red fruits, sweet strawberries, blueberries, violets, white pepper, and Christmas spice-like notes all soaring from the glass. Beautiful on the palate as well, it’s medium-bodied, has supple tannins, terrific purity, and a great finish.
97 POINTS & TOP 100 WINES OF 2022 2020 BEAU MARCHAIS CLOS PEPE VINEYARD EST PINOT NOIR
95 POINTS 2020 BEAU MARCHIAS CLOS PEPE VINEYARD OUEST PINOT NOIR
Good Vitis
https://goodvitis.com/
Aaron Menenberg at Good Vitis has written a wonderful post on Beau Marchais Winery, describing in detail how our entire project came about. You can read it here: https://goodvitis.com/the-beautiful-virtual-wine-walk/