2004 Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Marc Perrin, who is an avid sailor, was waiting outside the Beaucastel chai enjoying a vicious windstorm when I arrived for my tasting, and it was clear that he would have preferred to have been out on the water than in a dark, quiet cave that day. "Two thousand five gave us a perfect harvest," he told me, "like 2004 and, by the way, 2006. "Perrin is especially excited by the quality of the mourvedre in 2004, which he believes will help ensure a long evolution for these wines. "The 2004s will not impress with extraction, but with finesse, elegance and balance," he pointed out. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)

The Perrin family has been on a major land acquisition roll, acquiring more than 100 acres in Vinsobres (which has just been elevated from Cotes du Rhone-Villages status to AOC, along with Beaumes de Venise rouge), as well as entering into contracts for grapes from Vacqueyras and Rasteau.These wines are bottled under the Perrin label, and I was able to taste the 2004 releases with Pierre Perrin at Beaucastel in November (see notes later in this issue).As for the flagship wines from Chateau de Beaucastel, they are, in a word, brilliant.I was especially struck by the quality of the white wines; it was clear from Perrin's enthusiasm that these are wines that matter deeply to the family.Vintage 2003 was a big success for the red wines here, especially owing to the atypical ripeness achieved by Beaucastel's grenache, which the family harvested late and which makes up 50% of the blend in this vintage."I only love grenache when it's ripe," noted Perrin.The harvest of 2004 took place under what Perrin described as "perfect conditions, no problems at all," and the wines are wonderfully fresh, balanced and pure.(Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)