Chateau de Beaucastel Hommage A Jacques Perrin

2017

Wine Advocate 97: 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.

James Suckling 97: A great vintage for mourvedre in 2017, it represents 60% of this blend. Picked late, at the beginning of October, this has a very rich, dark-stone, leather, grilled-meat and slate nose with black fruit and wild herbs. The palate has a rich, smooth and long core of noble tannin with a wealth of dark cherries and dark plums. Long, suave tannins command the finish, where there’s a a late kick of spice. Good potential, ripeness and concentration. As with the regular Beaucastel Châteauneuf, the intensity and plushness of tannin is a highlight here.

Vinous 96-97: Saturated ruby. Expansive, smoke- and mineral-accented black raspberry, cherry liqueur, cassis, exotic spice and licorice aromas show outstanding delineation and lift. Sweet and expansive in the mouth, offering impressively concentrated black and blue fruit, floral pastille, spicecake and succulent herb flavors that utterly stain the palate. Shows outstanding energy and breadth on a wonderfully long, floral- and spice-dominated finish shaped by steadily building tannins.

Decanter 98: An immediate, dense fog of blackberry, violet and mashed blueberries rises up out of the glass. There's a touch of iodine, and that animal-tinged Mourvèdre character. This is full-bodied, much denser and more concentrated than the Tradition this year, with great extract and heft, deep-set acidity and great length. Fresh and balanced despite its power, with serious grip. You could drink this now with a charred ribeye, but there's much to gain from waiting; I would suggest from 2029. Around 60% of the blend comes from old vine Mourvèdre from their Courrieux vineyard. Grapes are destemmed, fermented in tronconic wooden vats using natural yeasts after a brief cold maceration, with regular punching down.