CDP Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin, Perrin - Château de Beaucastel 2010

No such issue exists with the perfect 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage a Jacques Perrin. I don't know what more a wine could offer. Inky blue/purple, with an extraordinary nose of smoked duck, grilled steaks, Provencal herbs, blackberries, blueberries, kirsch, licorice and truffle, enormously massive, concentrated, full-bodied and built for 30-50 years of cellaring, this wine, which is dominated by its Mourvedre component, is a tour de force, a spectacular, world-class wine. It is going to require some patience, though, and seems to need 4-5 years of cellaring. It should again be almost ageless in its potential.

Tight, dense and backward, the 2010 Châteauneuf du Pape Hommage À Jacques Perrin was one of the least approachable wines in the lineup, yet certainly has incredible potential. Offering lots of liquid minerality, crushed rock, blueberry, truffle and cassis, it’s massive and concentrated on the palate, with building tannin, good acidity and a firm, focused feel that begs for cellaring. Hide these in the cellar for another decade.

Vivid purple. Highly perfumed bouquet combines blackcurrant, pipe tobacco, woodsmoke, Asian spices and dried flowers. Wonderfully sweet and pure, with a seamless texture and terrific energy to its red and dark fruit preserve flavors. Palate-staining and powerful wine but without any undue impression of weight. The long, spicy finish shows an exotic quality that reminded me of, forgive me, a Rousseau Chambertin-Clos de Beze from a ripe vintage.

There are approximately 500 cases of the luxury cuvee, the Chateau Beaucastel 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage a Jacques Perrin. Composed of 60% Mourvedre, 20% Syrah and the rest Counoise and Grenache, the 2010 is slightly more restrained and backward than usual because of the vintage's acid profile. Its opaque purple color is followed by crisp, rich, blueberry, blackberry, roasted meat, smoky, gamey, licorice and truffle notes. Extremely dense with fabulous fruit purity, a multidimensional mouthfeel and a massive finish, this wine will need a minimum of 10 years of cellaring and should keep for half a century. The Perrins did not harvest the Mourvedre used in their two 2010 cuvees until October 20!