Tribute to Jacques Perrin - Château de Beaucastel - Châteauneuf du Pape 2018 4df5d4d9d819b397555d03cedf085f48

Wine Advocate

98-100 / 100

byJoe Czerwinskithe8/30/2020

Essence of framboise is joined by layers of garrigue-like complexity, rich, meaty notes and a generous dusting of Asian five spice blend in the stunning 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage à Jacques Perrin. This is full-bodied but incredibly silky, combining great purity, richness and length into a seamless, elegant package that should give immense pleasure for decades to come.

Vinous

95-98 / 100

byJosh Raynolds the12/2/2019

Opaque ruby. Powerful dark berry, cherry cola, incense, potpourri, musky earth and spicecake aromas show outstanding clarity and pick up a smoky mineral nuance with aeration. Sweet and seamless in the mouth, offering deeply concentrated but energetic black raspberry, cherry preserve, five-spice powder and lavender pastille flavors given lift and spine by a core of juicy acidity. Blends richness and finesse with a deft hand and finishes incredibly long and precise, with youthfully firm tannins adding shape and final grip.

Jeb DUNNUCK

96-98 / 100

byJeb Dunnuckthe8/16/2019

One of the more supple, sexy vintages I can remember for this cuvée, the 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape Hommage A Jacques Perrin nevertheless has power to spare, offering a beautiful bouquet of blueberries, ground pepper, smoked meat, truffle, and liquid violets. Full-bodied, opulent, and mouthfilling, it starts out relatively tame yet builds on the palate, showing good acidity, plenty of tannins, and a finish that makes you salivate. It’s a brilliant wine that was compared to the 2001 by Marc Perrin.

One of the reference point estate in the Rhône Valley, as well as the entire wine world, is that of the Perrin Family’s Château de Beaucastel. Located in the northern, cooler part of the appellation, the estate covers roughly 100 hectares of vines from which they produce a red and white Côtes Du Rhône (from vines just outside the appellation), two Châteauneuf du Pape whites, and two Châteauneuf du Pape reds. Looking at the Châteauneuf du Papes, both whites are Roussanne dominated, with the Châteauneuf du Pape Blanc being roughly 80+% Roussanne, and the Roussanne Vieilles Vignes cuvée being 100% Roussanne. The Roussanne Vieilles Vignes is one of the greatest whites made in the world in just about every vintage and while it drinks beautifully young (a recent bottle of the 2014 was off the charts) it also has the capacity to evolve for decades. As to the reds, the classic cuvée comes all from vines around the estate and is unique for its high Mourvèdre content, with the blend normally in the realm of 35% Mourvèdre, 25% Grenache, and the rest Syrah, Counoise, and other permitted varieties. Aging occurs in a mix of barrels and foudre. The flagship Hommage A Jacques Perrin cuvée comes primarily from a single parcel of 90+-year-old Mourvèdre vines located just behind the estate. Raised in foudre, it’s a powerful, singular, exotic expression of this variety, and there’s no one out there that does it better.