Wine Advisor
Chateau de Beaucastel, Hommage a Jacques Perrin 2011
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Jeb Dunnuck
Already forward and approachable (especially by this cuvee’s standards), the 2011 Châteauneuf du Pape Hommage À Jacques Perrin offers up classic blueberry, violets, beef blood and earthy, mineral qualities on the bouquet. Downright sexy on the palate, with full-bodied richness and a voluptuous, mouth-filling texture, it nevertheless has ample tannin and concentration, all of which build nicely on the palate. While it will have upward of three decades of longevity, it will be one of the more approachable Hommage A Jacques Perrins in its youth as well.
Reviewed by: Joe Czerwinski
A strong showing for this wine, the 2011 Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage à Jacques Perrin displays lovely aromas of truffle, tree bark, red raspberries and cherries. It's medium to full-bodied and remarkably fresh-tasting, with silky tannins on the long, elegant finish. What a super effort, one that should easily be capable of drinking well for more than another decade.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
There is a potential cuvee that might end up being labeled 2011 Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage a Jacques Perrin. As you can see, my rating for this wine is probably one of the lower ratings for this estate, even though it is a brilliant wine given the vintage. The Hommage cuvee was first made in 1989. At the time of my visit, the Perrins were still uncertain as to whether its evolution would justify a separate bottling. The wine displays considerable tannin, and is full-bodied with Mourvedre's meaty, blood-like component intermixed with blue fruits, tree bark and porcini mushrooms. While dense it is certainly not at the level of the greatest vintages of Hommage to date. It will be interesting to see where this wine ends up, either declassified into Beaucastel's 2011, or bottled separately. (Not yet released) As I said last year, the Perrin family is a large one indeed, with brothers Jean-Pierre and Francois sitting at the top of the hierarchy and their four sons, Mathieu, Pierre, Thomas and Marc increasingly taking charge of their negociant business and their extensive estates throughout Southern Rhone. Now controlling over 1200 acres, as well as having a network of contracts, this operation is the equivalent of a major Southern Rhone train operating at high speed. Moreover, they are doing some incredible work in all price ranges. Other 2011s that the Perrin boys have produced include the following wines, which were very good across the board, especially for 2011s. In particular, readers need to take a hard look at their estate in Vinsobres, which is making the finest wines of that appellation, and more recently, what they are doing in Gigondas with the estate they purchased there, Clos des Tourelles. These are special wines. There are now three cuvees of Gigondas from the Perrins - the Gigondas La Gille, the Gigondas Vieilles Vignes and the Gigondas Clos des Tourelles. All three merit serious attention. Tasting the 2010s, which were all set to go into bottle right after my visit, certainly shows that this vintage is impressive, although I'm not sure that Marc and Pierre Perrin haven't done as good a job with their selections in 2011. Three cuvees of Gigondas look to all have outstanding potential and will probably be in bottle by the time this report is published. Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802
Reviewed by: Jeb Dunnuck
Only made in top vintages and a blend of roughly 60% (or more) Mourvedre and the rest a mix of other permitted varieties, the 2011 Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage a Jacques Perrin is a cellar selection that always comes from the same plot of vines. A massive, powerful wine, with serious amounts of extract and concentration, it slowly gives up gamey, complex (and heavenly) notes of blueberry, blackberry, blood, licorice, garrigue and smoke. This flows to a full-bodied, layered and brilliantly textured effort that conceals its tannic spine with tons of fruit. It should start to hit its prime at about age 10 and have two to three decades of longevity. Drink 2017-2029+. Covering a full 175 acres in Chateauneuf du Pape, with significant holdings throughout the Southern Rhone (mostly vinified at and released under their Famille Perrin brand), Chateau De Beaucastel is a benchmark estate that excels at all price points. Looking at the wines reviewed here, 2011 is surprisingly strong (especially for the Chateauneufs) and with their perfumed aromatics and supple textures, they show a lot of similarities to the 2009s. The 2012s as a whole show more freshness and purity, with good concentration, and should require more bottle age to come around. Both vintages are worth seeking out. Looking at the 2011s across the board, all of which were in bottle, it appears to be a strong vintage here. While the vintage suffered due to uneven ripening in the Grenache, it was actually a solid vintage for Mourvedre and this shows, particularly in the Chateauneufs. Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802
Reviewed by: Josh Raynolds
Saturated ruby. Heady, expansive aromas of black and blue fruit liqueur, potpourri and incense, with smoky Indian spices emerging with air. Juicy, strikingly intense blackberry and blueberry flavors are complicated by notes of minerals and candied violet, with a subtle peppery quality adding bite. Velvety tannins give shape to the extremely long, spicy, penetrating finish, with the floral note echoing. This stunning, palate-staining wine gets my vote as the best Chateauneuf of its vintage.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
A strong showing for this wine, the 2011 Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage à Jacques Perrin displays lovely aromas of truffle, tree bark, red raspberries and cherries. It's medium to full-bodied and remarkably fresh-tasting, with silky tannins on the long, elegant finish. What a super effort, one that should easily be capable of drinking well for more than another decade.
About the Producer
Chateau de Beaucastel (also known as Château Beaucastel) is located in the Chateauneuf du Pape appellation, one of the most famous sub-appellations of the Rhone Valley, France. Founded in the 16th century by the Beaucastel family, the estate was acquired in 1909 by the Perrin Family, currently owned by Charles Perrin. Jacques Perrin was a pioneer in organic farming in the 1960s and in 1974 he adopted the principles of "biodynamic" management of the vineyards, going against the trend of the time. He was convinced that respecting the nature of the terroir was the right way to go. Mourvedre, a native grape variety that has been present in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation since ancient times, has long been abandoned by most people because it is not easy to grow. Jacques Perrin has worked tirelessly to cultivate Mourvedre, restoring the original flavour of Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines and enhancing their value. Jacques Perrin's red wines are made from Mourvèdre, the rare grape variety from which they derive their classic flavour. When Jacques Perrin died in 1978, the estate was managed by Jacques' sons, Jean-Pierre and Francois. Under the management of the two brothers, the winery has flourished. Today, the affairs of the estate have been taken over by Jean-Pierre's son, Charles Perrin. The vineyards of Château de Beaucastel have a rare terroir - the underlying limestone is covered with rounded pebbles, clay and gravel, with good drainage, which allows the vines to have deep, strong roots. At the same time, the Mistral winds bring a cool microclimate to the vineyards, which favours the growth of the grapes. Organic fertilizers are used exclusively in the vineyard. The vineyards are still planted with the 13 grape varieties approved by the Châteauneuf-du-Pape Appellation of Origin, including Mourvèdre, Grenache Noir, Syrah, Cinsault and Counoise for the red grapes and Roussanne and Grenache Blanc for the white grapes. Grenache Blanc.) Château de Beaucastel produces both red and white wines, with the Mourvedre grape predominating in the red wines and the Roussanne grape in the white wines. Some of the better known wines are the Chateau de Beaucastel Hommage a Jacques Perrin (Chateauneuf-du-Pape), the Chateau de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape (Châteauneuf-du-Pape), the Chateau de Beaucastel Nouvelle Vague (Châteauneuf-du-Pape) and the Châteauneuf-du-Pape (Châteauneuf-du-Pape), Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and the Coudoulet de Beaucastel, Cotes-Du-Rhone. The most noteworthy of these is the Château Beaucastel Salute to Perrin dry red wine. The weather was perfect in 1989 and the quality of the Mourvèdre harvested at the estate was outstanding. The brothers Jean-Pierre and François, the owners, decided to make a special wine in memory of their father. They named the wine Château de Beaucastel Tribute to Perrin, using Mourvèdre from old vines as the main grape. These old vines produce very low yields of ripe, concentrated fruit. For the past 30 years, Château de Beaucastel has been considered one of the greatest wineries in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape region. Today, under the stewardship of Charles Perrin and his siblings, Château de Beaucastel is creating new glories and continuing the legacy of the Rhone Valley.
