Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Château de Beaucastel Rouge, Perrin - Château de Beaucastel 2015

The 2015 Châteauneuf-du-Pape checks in as a blend of 30% each of Mourvèdre and Grenache, 10% Syrah, 10% Counoise and the rest a mix of permitted varieties, and they’re more and more keeping the stems with Syrah component. This is a beauty that offers more depth and richness than just about every other wine in the vintage. Blackberry, black raspberries, garrigue, spice and hints of saddle leather all flow to a full-bodied, rich, layered 2015 that has a stacked, concentrated mid-palate, ripe, sweet tannin and an undeniable opulence that’s missing from too many 2015s. Marc Perrin compared this cuvée to 2001, and I can’t disagree with him. Drink this blockbuster beauty anytime over the coming two decades.

I was able to taste all of the components of the 2015 Châteauneuf du Pape and this is a vintage described by Marc Perrin where every variety excelled. The Grenache and Mourvèdre were the clear standouts, both possessing terrific concentration, purity of fruit and ripe tannic structure. This will certainly be an outstanding wine, and it has a touch more concentration than the 2012.