Côtes du Rhône Beatus Ille 2024 Famille Isabel Ferrando

The Côtes du Rhône Beatus Ille 2024 from Famille Isabel Ferrando is the most joyful and most accessible cuvée from a domaine counted among the most admired and demanding in the southern Rhône Valley. Its name is a statement of philosophy: Beatus Ille, "blessed is he" in Latin, drawn from an ode by Horace celebrating a man living in harmony with nature. This wine embodies exactly that: a generous sun-filled character, brilliant fruit and disarming directness, born from biodynamic viticulture conducted with an exigence usually reserved for grand crus. Rated 93/100 by James Suckling for the 2024 vintage, Beatus Ille is a rare demonstration that a Côtes du Rhône can reach the precision and complexity of an ambitious terroir wine.

The terroir and vineyards

Beatus Ille comes principally from a parcel named La Lionne, situated in the district of Sorgues, at the immediate southern boundary of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation, just steps away from one of the world's most celebrated wine regions. The soils comprise red clays and rolled pebbles, the typical substrate of the southern Rhône which absorbs the sun's heat during the day and releases it slowly at night, ensuring slow ripening and remarkable aromatic concentration. The blend is composed primarily of Grenache from old vines with an average age exceeding 70 years, complemented by Cinsault from La Lionne and a touch of Syrah from the Châteauneuf-du-Pape parcels proper. The entire vineyard is managed under certified organic agriculture since the domaine's founding and certified biodynamic since 2022. Winemaking leaves no room for compromise: fermentation with native yeasts, six months ageing in non-epoxydised concrete vats without new oak, to preserve intact the wine's fruit and vitality.

Tasting profile

The colour is a brilliant ruby with violet reflections, luminous and translucent. The nose is immediately expressive and seductive: intense aromas of fresh raspberry, wild strawberry, dark cherry and blueberry mingle with floral notes of violet, hints of white pepper and Provençal garrigue. With aeration, more complex notes of vegetable char, sweet smoke and oriental spices enrich the bouquet. On the palate, the wine is both supple and profound with remarkable drinkability: the attack is juicy and fruity, the tannins are fine and remarkably silky in grain, and the acidity is fresh and lively, bringing energy and tension to a generous texture. The finish is long, well-balanced and lightly peppered, with that return of lavender and tart red fruits characteristic of the Rhône's greatest Grenaches. A wine of rare harmony and elegance for its rank.

The domaine

Isabel Ferrando launched her first vintage in 2003 under the name Domaine Saint-Préfert in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, after acquiring 13.2 hectares on the parcel des Serres, one of the appellation's hottest zones. Guided by the legendary Henri Bonneau, who encouraged her to vinify in her own uncompromised style, she has built in two decades an international reputation rivalling the greatest names of Châteauneuf. In 2023, her daughter Guillemette joined her at the domaine, marking entry into a new family chapter now united under the name Famille Isabel Ferrando. The domaine's Grenache vines have an average age of over 70 years, and some Mourvèdre date from the 1920s. As critic Jeb Dunnuck notes, one constant remains vintage after vintage: the incredible quality continuing to emerge from this exceptional winemaker.

Food pairings

This Côtes du Rhône Beatus Ille will pair splendidly with a beautiful grilled lamb chop with garrigue herbs, roasted chicken with thyme and garlic, Provençal daube, lamb skewers marinated with warm spices, or a platter of aged cheeses such as Pélardon or old Cantal. Served lightly chilled at around 15–16 °C, it will reveal all its liveliness and brilliant fruit, perfect also as an aperitif on a summer evening, in the generous sun-filled spirit that is this cuvée's signature.