2009 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Hommage à Jacques Perrin

According to Marc Perrin, "the not-so secret benefit of Beaucastel's location in Chateauneuf is that the vineyard sits in the most northern sector of the appellation. This means that the north winds sweep down through the mountains and hit here first, which keeps the vineyards cool and stretches out the growing season." He added that in terms of temperature Beaucastel "is a lot like a vineyard much further north," so there is always good acidity to the grapes, even in a hot year. Perrin noted that in a year like 2010 that quality is even more pronounced, "which means that the wines will be very long-lived." As much as he loves the 2007 Hommage a Jacques Perrin, and the 2009 as well, he believes the 2010 is at another level and "should be, maybe, the longest-lived wine made here, maybe ever." He compares the 2010 wines "to 1978 and maybe even 1962 for their intensity without overripeness or heaviness." Those older vintages are most peoples' reference points for greatness in Chateauneuf, by the way. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)

"The hallmark of 2009 in Chateauneuf is silky tannins," Marc Perrin told me as we started our annual tasting. "It's a vintage that favors the late-ripening grapes because we got some good rain in the middle of September that helped the mourvedre and syrah a lot." He was especially pleased with how the estate's mourvedre turned out in '09, calling it "perfectly mature and without hardness. The 2009 classique [which is 30% mourvedre, by the way] has an elegance that will make it seductive young because the tannins are hidden and absorbed by the fruit." Perrin told me that he would be surprised if the '09s ever really shut down hard—"and if they do close up it will probably be for a short time, unlike the 2007 and 2005." Perrin emphasized that when Beaucastel makes an Hommage a Jacques Perrin bottling, as is currently planned for 2009, "it is because we think that it will be a wine of finesse, foremost. The greatest wines are the finest, the most elegant, not the most massive or brutal." (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)