Jeb DUNNUCK
par Jeb Dunnuck le 06/10/2020
Lastly, the 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape Hommage A Jacques Perrin showed beautifully, and while it doesn’t hit the heights of the 2001, 2007, 2010, 2016, or 2017, it’s a beautiful expression of this cuvée that deserves a place in the cellar. Revealing a deep purple hue as well as a kaleidoscope-like array of blueberries, charred meat, graphite, ground pepper, violets, and garrigue, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a layered, seamless texture, building tannins, and a magical finish. It doesn’t have the sheer wealth of material found in truly great vintages and stays compact and focused on the palate, but it has beautiful depth of fruit and intensity as well as a seamlessness to its tannins. I suspect it will be relatively approachable by this cuvee’s standards, yet it still has enough structure and tannins to warrant a solid 7-8 years of bottle age. Given its balance, freshness, and purity, it’s going to age beautifully.
Château de Beaucastel is located in the cooler, windier, and more pebbly clay soils of the northern part of Chateauneuf du Pape, and as such, were less affected by the devastating outbreak of mildew in the spring of 2018. In addition, Mourvèdre fared much better than Grenache in the vintage, all pointing to a great vintage for this estate in what was a more challenging vintage for much of the appellation. Marc compared 2018 to 2001 last year, and while I don’t think the quality, or concentration, is quite at that level, the purity of the tannins as well as elegance found in their 2018s share similarities to the 2001s. The 2019 whites from this estate showed beautifully, and these are world-class wines that deserve a place in every wine lover’s cellar. The general rule with the whites is to enjoy bottles on release and over the following 5-7 years, then they are best forgotten until around age 20.