Beaucastel

Since the 1989 vintage, Beaucastel has produced a special cuvee – Hommage a Jacques Perrin – named after one of the most influential members of the family in the long history of the domaine. Jacques succeeded his father, Pierre, as the director of the estate in 1946, and was one of the seminal figures in Chateauneuf du Pape during the 20th century.

During his time at the head of the estate, he oversaw the development of Beaucastel as it is known today, planting more vineyards and establishing a place amongst the most highly-regarded wines in the appellation. Jacques was fond of the Mourvedre grape, and he greatly expanded the property to what now includes a full thirty hectares of vines today. A high percentage of Mourvedre in the blend is one of the defining characteristics of the Beaucastel bottlings, and the Hommage a Jacques Perrin is a tribute to the potential of this noble grape.

After more than thirty years running the estate, Jacques passed away in 1978. When the exceptional 1989 vintage came along, his sons Francois and Jean-Pierre sought to create a special bottling and named it after the memory of their father. Harvested from a plot of very old vines, this wine is typically a blend of 60% Mourvedre, 20% Grenache, 10% Counoise and 10% Syrah – produced in exceptional vintages only; approximately 400 cases per year. While most vintages require 10+ years of cellaring, the more forward vintages can be enjoyed in their youth as well too.

Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage A Jacques Perrin 2005
7 bottles available
$365 per bottle

98+ points Wine Advocate: “The 2005 Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage a Jacques Perrin represents the essence of Beaucastel. A super-concentrated, somewhat over the top style of wine based on 60% Mourvedre, 20% Grenache, and the rest Counoise and Syrah, they only made 4,000 bottles in 2005. The wine has an inky blue/purple color, a more dramatic bouquet than the regular cuvee, consisting of asphalt, crushed pepper, fresh red beef, tar, truffle, and loads of blueberry, blackberry, and cassis. The wine is very full-bodied, extraordinarily powerful, frightfully concentrated, and very tannic and backward. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2050+.”

Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage A Jacques Perrin 2009
Pack Size: OWC (12)
24 bottles available
$385 per bottle

99 points Wine Advocate: “Potentially the wine of the vintage, the 2009 Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage a Jacques Perrin had just been bottled two weeks before my visit. A wine of extraordinary density, richness, precision and unreal flavor intensity, it reveals abundant gamey, meaty notes intermixed with smoked duck, Provencal herbs, blueberries, blackberries, kirsch and licorice. This loaded, multidimensional, massively concentrated 2009 is much softer than most Hommages. It should be drinkable in 3-4 years and keep for 30-40 years thereafter. Kudos to one of the world’s great winemaking families!”

Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage A Jacques Perrin 2011
3 bottles available
$325 per bottle

96 points Wine Advocate: “Already forward and approachable (especially by this cuvee’s standards), the 2011 Châteauneuf du Pape Hommage À Jacques Perrin offers up classic blueberry, violets, beef blood and earthy, mineral qualities on the bouquet. Downright sexy on the palate, with full-bodied richness and a voluptuous, mouth-filling texture, it nevertheless has ample tannin and concentration, all of which build nicely on the palate. While it will have upward of three decades of longevity, it will be one of the more approachable Hommage A Jacques Perrins in its youth as well.”

Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage A Jacques Perrin 2012
Pack Size: OWC (12)
24 bottles available
$375 per bottle

99 points Wine Advocate: “The wine of the vintage is the Perrin’s 2012 Châteauneuf du Pape Hommage A Jacques Perrin, and it will most likely merit a perfect rating in another couple of years. Full-bodied, massive and layered on the palate, with awesome purity and freshness, it delivers incredible aromatics of beef blood, truffle, graphite, iron and black and blue fruits. Given all of the fruit and texture, you almost have to hunt for the structure here, but trust me, it’s there. The tasting at Beaucastel took place a 9 a.m., and even then, this is one wine I found impossible to spit. It’s a tour de force that will have 3-4 decades of life.”

Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage A Jacques Perrin 2013
Pack Size: OWC (12)
12 bottles available
$345 per bottle

96+ points Wine Advocate: “The 2013 Châteauneuf du Pape Hommage a Jacques Perrin is a beast of a wine that’s shed most of the baby fat it showed from barrel. A normal blend of 60% Mourvèdre, 20% Grenache, and the rest Syrah and Counoise, this tiny production release has incredible minerality to go with searing black and blue fruits, forest floor, smoked earth and leather. Full-bodied, inky, concentrated and backwards with a serious kick of tannin, it will need a decade of cellaring to be approachable. I suspect it will have 2-3 decades of longevity.”

Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage A Jacques Perrin 2014
Pack Size: OWC (12)
24 bottles available
$345 per bottle

(94-96) points Wine Advocate: “Probably the wine of the vintage (I feel like I say that every year for this cuvee), the 2014 Châteauneuf du Pape Hommage A Jacques Perrin is a substantial, full-bodied, shockingly concentrated 2014 that gives up classic notes of blackberries, blueberries, forest floor, beef blood and licorice. Mouth-coating and rich with building tannin, it will be approachable at an earlier age than most vintages, yet will still need 5-6 years of cellaring.”