1998 Châteauneuf-du-Pape

"The '99s give a strong impression of acidity even if their pHs are similar to those of '98," said Francois Perrin, echoing a sentiment I heard up and down the Rhone Valley in November and experienced for myself in the wines. "The '99s are still extremely youthful, like completely fresh fruit. Nineteen ninety-eight, in comparison, featured a more Californian climate, with hot days but cool nights." Perrin, who has proven to be a discerning and forthcoming judge of the relative merits of vintages, says that the estate Roussanne Vieilles Vignes in '99 is the best since '91. "The '98 whites are a bit technological," he told me, "while the '99s, which fermented much longer, are more complex." Beaucastel has made an extraordinary pair of special Hommage a Jacques Perrin bottlings in '99 and '98. Like the stunningly good '89 and '90, the current pair represents two completely different blends: the '99, like the '90, features 60% mourvedre and 20% grenache, while the '98, like the '89, is 60% grenache and 20% mourvedre. These rare and expensive bottles are among the Rhone Valley's most remarkable wines. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)

It's an outstanding traditional year for the red wines of the appellation, says Francois Perrin, because the grenache was splendidly ripe. But so was the mourvedre, Perrin adds, as it also was the previous year. The result, not surprisingly, is an outstanding vintage at this estate, including the most promising Coudoulet de Beaucastel since 1990 and another potentially outrageous Hommage a Jacques Perrin bottling. Beaucastel's 1998 white wines, says Perrin, began with even higher grape sugars and about the same acidity as the estate's '97 whites but have gone into bottle with less generosity of texture than the earlier set of wines. In '98, he explains, the fermentations were quick ("almost too easy"), while in '97 the sugars took up to three months to ferment. As a result, the '97s are extraordinarily glyceral. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)