Hommage à Jacques Perrin - Château de Beaucastel

Wine Advocate

97-100 / 100

par Joe Czerwinski le 30/08/2019

Loaded with mulberry and blueberry fruit, graced by hints of star anise, cardamom, cinnamon and allspice, the 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage à Jacques Perrin is another standout vintage for this wine. Full-bodied, rich, velvety and long on the finish, at this point, it's maybe not quite as sure a thing to reach the century score as the beyond-superlative 2018, but I wouldn't rule it out. This is seriously great wine.

Jeb DUNNUCK

100 / 100

par Jeb Dunnuck le 16/08/2019

On another level, the brilliant 2017 Châteauneuf Du Pape Hommage A Jacques Perrin is just about all Mourvèdre (there are small amounts of Grenache, Syrah, and Counoise) brought up in a large foudre. It reveals a saturated purple color as well as a super-rich, blockbuster-styled bouquet of blackcurrants, blackberries, ground pepper, truffle, charcuterie, and God knows what else. With full-bodied richness, a stacked, opulent mid-palate, building tannins, and a sensational finish, it’s another perfect wine from this team and is unquestionably in the same realm as the 2000, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2016. Give bottles 7-8 years of bottle age and enjoy over the following 40-50 years.

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.

Wine Advocate

98-100 / 100

par Joe Czerwinski le 31/08/2018

The preliminary blend of the 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage à Jacques Perrin is about 75% Mourvèdre, which performed exceptionally well in the heat of the vintage, according to Marc Perrin. It's the second consecutive potentially perfect vintage of this cuvée, which never misses the mark, in any event. Licorice and red berries mark the nose, while the wine is full-bodied and concentrated yet almost weightless, delivering remarkable savory, spicy nuances and a long, long, long finish. Yes, I did indeed write "long" three times in my notebook.

Jeb DUNNUCK

98-100 / 100

par Jeb Dunnuck le 28/08/2018

Lastly, the inky colored 2017 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Hommage A Jacques Perrin is the usual Mourvèdre dominated blend of 85% Mourvèdre and the rest Syrah, Grenache, and Counoise, brought up in a single foudre. Offering an extraordinary bouquet of blueberries, smoked meat, iodine, and violets, this beauty hits the palate with a massive, rich, structured style that carries serious amounts of tannin, fruit, and extract. It has the purity of fruit to drink reasonably well in its youth, but it's going to need a decade of cellaring to begin to approach maturity.