CDP Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin, Perrin - Château de Beaucastel 2011

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.

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.