Wine Advocate
par Robert Parker le 30/10/2011
The 2009 Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage a Jacques Perrin (60% Mourvedre, 20% Syrah and the rest Counoise and Grenache) may turn out to be the wine of the vintage. Its opaque purple color is followed by notes of camphor, smoked herbs, sweet, smoky, gamy meat, blueberries, blackberries, cherries and licorice. The wine possesses enormous richness, but it is never heavy or overbearing. With exquisite precision, an extraordinary finish and a fabulous texture, this is another prodigious example of this cuvee, which was launched in 1989 (that wine is still an infant at age 21). The 2009 should have 50+ years of longevity ... at a minimum.
(Not yet released)
The Perrin brothers, Jean-Pierre and Francois, and their sons, Thomas, Marc, Pierre and Mathieu, have long owned over 200 acres of top sites in Chateauneuf du Pape and can now claim over 1,000 acres in the southern Rhone as their empire under the Perrin et Fils label expands considerably. This is good news for consumers as the Perrins, one of the great winemaking families of France, are dedicated to producing high quality wines, preserving top terroirs, and to providing a range of wines in all price ranges that are as good as consumers can expect. Purchasing a wine from this family is about as close to a guarantee of authenticity and high quality as one can expect. There is no secret to surviving the recent world-wide recession and fragile economy. No matter what field one is in – wine, the service industry, product development, etc., one has to over deliver in order to keep consumers happy. Don’t do that, expect a dwindling economic return and possible failure. The Perrins long ago adopted this philosophy, even in boom times. Speaking of wines that over deliver, readers should be searching out the super inexpensive, bargain priced La Vieille Ferme offerings. The Perrins have put together a terrific portfolio of top wines from the leading Cotes du Rhone Villages. With the exception of the estate wines in Vinsobres, they are all dominated by Grenache. To date, the finest wines have emerged from the 2007 vintage, but very strong efforts have been produced in 2009.