2018 - Chateauneuf-du-Pape Chateau de Beaucastel Hommage a Jacques Perrin

Red-fruited and garrigue-laden, the nose of the 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage à Jacques Perrin is glorious, showing remarkable complexity in its notes of cherries, raspberries and strawberries, all accented by hints of bay leaf, lavender and thyme, plus deeper bass notes of black olives, roasted meat, espresso, star anise and dark chocolate. Full-bodied and intense, it seems to have added structure since last year, with a firm matrix of tannins holding it all together and lingering on the lengthy finish. Put this Mourvèdre-based blend (approximately 60%) away for five or more years; it should drink well for a couple of decades beyond that.

Inky ruby. Deep-pitched red and dark berry liqueur, candied violet, licorice and Moroccan spice scents show superb detail and a smoky mineral overtone. Densely packed and focused on the palate, offering powerful blueberry, bitter cherry and black raspberry flavors, along with chewing tobacco, floral pastille and fruitcake notes. Hangs on with serious persistence, steadily building tannins and reverberating florality. Two-thousand eighteen was a superb vintage for Mourvèdre, and it shows here, with that variety making up about a third of the blend.

75% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah, 10% Grenache, 5% Counoise. Perfect flowering was followed by mildew pressure due to late-spring rains. After this, it was another excellent growing season in the Rhône, allowing perfect harvest conditions. Deep ruby. Meaty, earthy fruit on the nose, very complex already. Quite heady too. The palate is very oily, with damson and morello cherry. Glossy and dense, this is very succulent but not as savoury or peppery as I would expect. The finish is full of sweet red fruits and just a hint of spice. Perhaps it just needs more time to reveal its potential. (TP)