Château de Beaucastel Beaucastel 2010

A wine compared to the 2015 by Marc Perrin, the 2010 Châteauneuf-du-Pape is already drinking nicely, with notable complexity and depth in its garrigue, sweet spice, incense, and both black cherry and currant-like fruit. The 2010s are just now starting to open up and drink well, and this full-bodied effort has impressive purity, notable mid-palate density, and ripe tannin, all suggesting it has a long life ahead of it.

Dark, dense and very closed now, this has a tremendous core of crushed plum, linzer torte and blackberry confiture waiting in reserve. Ample singed cedar and mesquite, warm paving stone and black tea notes lurk in the background and glide through the finish. Features serious grip, but wonderful integration. Should cruise in the cellar. *Collectible, Ranked #8 in Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2013* (JM)

(roughly 30% each of grenache and mourvedre, with 10% each of counoise and syrah and the balance "everything else"): Vivid ruby. Fresh raspberry and cherry on the intensely perfumed nose. Sappy and sweet, with deep red fruit preserve flavors and hints of succulent herbs and rose pastille. Packs a punch but also shows impressive energy and balance. The raspberry note carries through on the finish, which also features a suave, slow-building note of star anise.

Stunning nose, in which deep red-fruit character is married to meaty, spicy and caramel aromas. Powerful and very well structured, the tannins still very present, but the overwhelming impression is of elegance. Very long, dry finish with plenty of stony minerality. Gives a very good idea of the direction that the best 2020s will take. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.

Interestingly enough, even though many of the 2010 Perrin et Fils selections from the southern Rhone were scheduled to be bottled right after my visit, the 2010 Beaucastel had already been put in bottle. This is a gorgeous wine, a classic blend of 30% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah, 10% Counoise and the balance the other permitted varietals in the appellation. Deep purple, with loads of bouquet garni, beef blood, blackberry, kirsch, smoke and truffle, this wine is full-bodied, rich and showing even better than it did last year. I still think it needs 3-5 years of cellaring, and it should last for 25-30 years, as most of the top vintages of Beaucastel do. As I said last year, the Perrin family is a large one indeed, with brothers Jean-Pierre and Francois sitting at the top of the hierarchy and their four sons, Mathieu, Pierre, Thomas and Marc increasingly taking charge of their negociant business and their extensive estates throughout Southern Rhone. Now controlling over 1200 acres, as well as having a network of contracts, this operation is the equivalent of a major Southern Rhone train operating at high speed. Moreover, they are doing some incredible work in all price ranges. Other 2011s that the Perrin boys have produced include the following wines, which were very good across the board, especially for 2011s. In particular, readers need to take a hard look at their estate in Vinsobres, which is making the finest wines of that appellation, and more recently, what they are doing in Gigondas with the estate they purchased there, Clos des Tourelles. These are special wines. There are now three cuvees of Gigondas from the Perrins - the Gigondas La Gille, the Gigondas Vieilles Vignes and the Gigondas Clos des Tourelles. All three merit serious attention. Tasting the 2010s, which were all set to go into bottle right after my visit, certainly shows that this vintage is impressive, although I'm not sure that Marc and Pierre Perrin haven't done as good a job with their selections in 2011. Three cuvees of Gigondas look to all have outstanding potential and will probably be in bottle by the time this report is published. Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802