The Perrin estate holdings include 43 hectares of vineyards, spread out over sixty-one plots. While many of the vineyards contain vines more than a hundred years old, the average age of the vines is 60 years old. The vines that make up this stellar Châteauneuf-du-Pape hail from two very different types of soil; the first is the atypical mix of clay and limestone subsoil covered by galets roules and the second contains a great deal of sand which lends the wine its profound aromatics and tannic finesse.

This Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a blend of 76% Grenache, 12% Syrah, 7% Mourvèdre, 3% Cinsault, 2% Clairette, 2% Counoise and 2% Vaccarese. The grapes were harvested by hand at their maximum ripeness through mid-September and the beginning of October. The yields were partially destemmed and vinification took place in cement tanks and lasted three weeks. Although the grapes were harvested separately two or three varieties are vinified together. The wine rested in a mixture of foudre, enamel-lined tanks, and new oak and the final cuvee was blended and bottled after a year.

Nearly blue-black in the glass with gorgeous scents of red berry, smoked meats and dried herbs on the nose. Buoyant red and black fruits—from red currant to empress plum and black cherry—dominate the attack and are followed by supple notes of coco-infused oak. This is a pretty and profoundly elegant Châteauneuf-du-Pape that is drinking beautifully right now. I highly recommend serving it with cassoulet, roast leg of lamb, pan seared veal chops or grilled duck sausages over polenta.

“Inky ruby. Fresh strawberry and raspberry on the nose, with seductive floral and mineral qualities adding interest. Pinot-like in its delicacy and focus, offering juicy red berry flavors, silky tannins and a long, spicy finish. More graceful and lacy than the 2005, and I suspect this will drink well out of the chute.”– 91-93 IWC

—Donald