Besoleil is our Spanish/French whimsy for "kissed by the sun". It alludes to the warm, sunny days in the south of France that impart an intensity of character to the Grenache grape and its southern Rhône relatives. Imagine the windswept vineyards of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the inspiration for this wine, where Grenache thrives alongside a dozen or more other grape varieties.
The story of Besoleil begins with our long-held belief that a precise marriage of soil and site can produce a profound expression of Grenache in Washington. We put that belief to the test with Besoleil's first vintage in 2003. While the Grenache in the earliest vintages of Besoleil was sourced from various vineyards throughout the Columbia Valley, two sites in particular (Olsen Vineyards in the Yakima Valley and Upland Vineyards on Snipes Mountain) have excelled as uniquely distinctive for Grenache. These two sites are the sources for the entirety of the Grenache in Besoleil today.
Grenache is the star of Besoleil, but it's not the whole story. Additional southern Rhone varieties have found their way into the blend and today the wine includes Counoise, Cinsault, Syrah and Mourvedre. Our cellar treatment has also evolved in several ways in order to promote additional nuance from these southern Rhone gems. Larger, neutral oak cooperage of 300 and 500 liters provides less surface-to-volume ratio, resulting in slower evolution and less oak influence in the final wine. Aging up to two-thirds of the blend in concrete vessels helps maintain a bright, fresh fruit character.
"Grenache makes up 46% of this wine, with Mourvèdre and Counoise each accounting for 24% and the balance being Syrah. With the majority of the fruit coming from Olsen Vineyard in Yakima Valley, the aromas explode from the glass, with notes of raspberry, smoked meat, huckleberry and white pepper. The palate has dense, textured, layered fruit flavors but still remains fleet of foot. There is a compelling sense of freshness and texture to it. It's a complete dazzler. - SEAN P. SULLIVAN"
- Wine Enthusiast (March 2020), 94 pts
Bob and Cathy Betz crushed their first vintage of Betz Family Wine in 1997 with the help of volunteer friends, producing 150 cases of wine in the warehouse district of ...
Read More
"The 2018 Bésoleil is made from 46% Grenache, 24% Mourvedre, 24% Couniose and 6% Syrah. The wine has a classic ruby color and opens with precision and focus on the nose, singing a beautiful song with strawberries and cherry skin, plus a spiced finesse and dusty minerality in the glass. Medium-bodied, flavors of red licorice and red spiced potpourri are balanced effortlessly on the palate, and it ends with a compact yet lingering oaky finish, making this wine food-friendly, expressing red and black spices with a soft dustiness."
"A medium-to full-bodied red with aromas of red berries, plums, orange zest, flowers, black pepper and dried herbs. Fine-grained tannins frame layers of herbs and spiced fruit with some saline undertones. Fresh and delicious. 46% grenache, 24% counoise, 24% mourvedre and 6% syrah. Drink or hold."
"The Southern Rhône blend from this estate, the 2018 Bésoleil checks in as 55% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre, 12% Counoise, and 3% Syrah that was 60% destemmed and brought up in used barrels. It's always a lighter hued effort and offers a translucent ruby color as well as perfumed flowers, sandalwood, herbes de Provence, and assorted red fruit characteristics. Medium-bodied, nicely textured, and balanced, it's a charming, undeniably delicious blend to enjoy over the coming 5-7 years or so."
"A blend of 55% Grenache, 23% Mourvèdre, 11% Syrah and 11% Cinsault, the 2016 Bésoleil represents the Betz Family Winery's homage to Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Offering up attractively complex aromas of cherries, kirsch, white pepper, spice, potpourri and licorice, it's medium to full-bodied, sappy and succulent, with velvety structuring tannins and bright acids. - William Kelley"
"Elegant and refined, with pretty raspberry and floral accents that glide on a long finish. Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah and Cinsault. Drink now through 2023. 450 cases made. –TF"
"The first vintage where they’ve pushed the bottling back to give the cuvee 16-18 months in barrel, the 2015 Besoleil is a dead ringer for a high-quality Chateauneuf du Pape and offers perfumed notes of herbes de Provence, kirsch, licorice and sweet spice. It’s medium to full-bodied, textured and fruit-forward, with a hedonistic yet elegant profile that’s going to evolve gracefully. - Jeb Dunnuck"
"Always an enjoyable, outstanding effort, the 2014 Grenache Besoleil offers classic notes of cherries, herbes de Provence, red plums and pepper in a fine, elegant, medium to full-bodied style. Drink it over the coming 7-8 years. - Jeb Dunnuck"
"Medium red. Sexy, high-toned red cherry and red berry aromas showcase the wine's Grenache component (but this vintage features the lowest percentage to date of this variety). Bright, ripe raspberry and cherry flavors are complicated by smoky and peppery nuances. A very graceful red blend with sweet tannins and excellent persistence. - Stephen Tanzer"
"This wine is a blend of Grenache (49%), Syrah (20%), Cinsault (16%), Mourvèdre (9%) and Counoise. Complex aromas of raspberry, blueberry, dried herbs and pepper lead to reserved yet rich fruit flavors that put a premium on purity. Give it time to open up."
"Bottled last November, the 2013 Grenache Besoleil has slightly more Syrah, with the final blend being 49% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 16% Cinsault, 9% Mourvedre and the rest Counoise. Aged 11 months in a combination of different sized barrels, 25% being new, it's a elegant, medium to full-bodied, Provencal-styled effort that has lots of sweet red and black fruits, garrigue and hints of cured meats. It's a total charmer that will have 10-12 years of overall longevity. - Jeb Dunnuck"
"Aged in 25% new oak for 11 months. Good dark red. Musky if slightly subdued aromas of redcurrant, raspberry, plum and coffee, with earthy and floral notes adding complexity. Wonderfully smoky and sweet on the palate, offering a plush, seamless texture and noteworthy density to the red fruit and meaty oak flavors. Still a bit reduced and firmly tannic on the aftertaste. Betz noted that he's moving steadily away from new oak. - Stephen Tanzer"
"(54% grenache, 15% cinsault, 12% each counoise and mourvedre and 7% syrah): Moderately saturated bright medium red. Sexy aromas of red berries, cherry, lavender and rose petal, plus a faint rocky quality. Suave and weightless in the mouth, with bright red fruit and floral flavors complicated by dried thyme, lavender and pepper nuances. Lovely juicy wine with excellent intensity and saline grip. This is the first vintage of this bottling to include counoise, which Bob Betz says has contributed spiciness."
