9/8/2018 - Collector1855 wrote:

Chateau Beaucastel, Hommage à Jacques Perrin vertical (Zurich): Together with the 2015 the WOTN for me. Excellent structure and aromas. Already some complex tertiary notes with dark fruit, barnyard, leather, meat and forest floor. Alc. is also in check here with 14.5%. Glad to see my previous high note confirmed. Makes me wonder how good the 2010 is.

9/8/2018 - Collector1855 wrote:

Chateau Beaucastel, Hommage à Jacques Perrin vertical (Zurich): This started off very strong. It was the first of the vintages with tertiary notes (barnyard, meat, leather, truffles) and softened tannins by maturity. After a while in the glass it lost a bit of tention as the other vintages gained momentum with air. I think this is a good but not great Hommage, one that will deliver drinking pleasure young while you are waiting for the 2010 and 2012 to come around.

9/8/2018 - Collector1855 wrote:

Chateau Beaucastel, Hommage à Jacques Perrin vertical (Zurich): I really liked this wine. A mini version of the 2009. Has both ripenes and structure going for it albeit at a lower level. Aromas are still dominated by dark fruit with barnyard notes taking a back seat. Excellent balance. Give it 2-3 more years for tannins to soften before start drinking it.

9/8/2018 - Collector1855 wrote:

Chateau Beaucastel, Hommage à Jacques Perrin vertical (Zurich): Very young and much lighter than the 2015 next to it. Also with some red fruit intermixed with blue fruit. Elegant and less tannic but somehow a bit thin almost for a top Southern Rhone wine. May be I am underestimating this vintage but I felt it to be a bit too easy raspberry/Haribo Cote du Rhone AOC in style compare to the towering 2015. 92-94

9/8/2018 - Collector1855 wrote:

Chateau Beaucastel, Hommage à Jacques Perrin vertical (Zurich): A clear winner, together with the 2009. Very young and primary aromas of blackberry, blueberry, licorice, dark fruit and some leather. The structure is massive but the tannins are ripe and the acidity there to support it. Does not feel heavy since Alc. is 14.5%, on the low side for this Cru. Easy to see that this will be one of the great Hommages. 97-98

9/5/2018 - sirpat00 wrote:

Hommage à Jacques Perrin vertical tasting: Tasted as part of a Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin vertical (2015, 2014, 2013, 2011, 2009, 2007, 2004, 1999) with owner Matthieu Perrin hosted by Arvi in Zurich. See the tasting story intro for more bibs and bobs on the event and some feedback from Matthieu.

Dry, almost dusty at first but with a clear, linear fruit that shines through. Some decanting would clearly be advised here, although aso 1h in the glass was not enough to dust it off entirely. Also on the palate too cerllary / tertiary for my liking.

9/5/2018 - sirpat00 wrote:

Hommage à Jacques Perrin vertical tasting: Tasted as part of a Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin vertical (2015, 2014, 2013, 2011, 2009, 2007, 2004, 1999) with owner Matthieu Perrin hosted by Arvi in Zurich. See the tasting story intro for more bibs and bobs on the event and some feedback from Matthieu.

Clear signs of oxidation overshadowed the fruit. Yet still fresh and more fruity on the palate with a good balance. The oxidative character receded more and more over time but then left a cellar / stable heavy profile. This was the weakest showing of the line-up - arhough I must also add some did like this almost Barolo-like version of Hommage.

9/5/2018 - sirpat00 wrote:

Hommage à Jacques Perrin vertical tasting: Tasted as part of a Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin vertical (2015, 2014, 2013, 2011, 2009, 2007, 2004, 1999) with owner Matthieu Perrin hosted by Arvi in Zurich. See the tasting story intro for more bibs and bobs on the event and some feedback from Matthieu.

A bit more jammy, porty fruit compared to the other vintages. Spiced beef jerky and dried provencal herbs accompany wet soil and mushrooms as well as some floral notes. A clear drop through of tertiary aromas to the palate which unfortunately shows a shortish, unimpressive and a bit watery finish. This the main reason for lowish score, but it is worth mentioning that Matthieu Perrin pointed out that the 2007 was probably closed but that he was 200% convinced it would open up again as did the 2009 which was closed 2 years ago. So maybe too early to sell down the private stock and give it another try in a couple of years.

9/5/2018 - sirpat00 Likes this wine:

Hommage à Jacques Perrin vertical tasting: Tasted as part of a Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin vertical (2015, 2014, 2013, 2011, 2009, 2007, 2004, 1999) with owner Matthieu Perrin hosted by Arvi in Zurich. See the tasting story intro for more bibs and bobs on the event and some feedback from Matthieu.

High intensity bright and sweet fruit with a bit of green, fresh herbs and dried red meat. Full body with lits of structural elements. Long, strong finish with the herbal components resonating nicely. Over time in the glass some menthol pops up while strong savoury notes persist. Super firm and tight structure even after 2h. Lots of muscule here. For me the runner up of the night, right after the 2015.

9/5/2018 - sirpat00 Likes this wine:

Hommage à Jacques Perrin vertical tasting: Tasted as part of a Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin vertical (2015, 2014, 2013, 2011, 2009, 2007, 2004, 1999) with owner Matthieu Perrin hosted by Arvi in Zurich. See the tasting story intro for more bibs and bobs on the event and some feedback from Matthieu.

Already present tartiary, but still very fine and elegant with the fruit fully on stage. A bit of fried bacon. Fresh and round with a soft texture and over time more soily / earthy notes take a step back. Very fine savoury. Medium+ finish with no hard edges what so ever. Losing a bit of intensity over time, however.

9/5/2018 - sirpat00 Likes this wine:

Hommage à Jacques Perrin vertical tasting: Tasted as part of a Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin vertical (2015, 2014, 2013, 2011, 2009, 2007, 2004, 1999) with owner Matthieu Perrin hosted by Arvi in Zurich. See the tasting story intro for more bibs and bobs on the event and some feedback from Matthieu.

First impression was: Beautiful. More cherry type fruit and less of strawberry candy explosion than other vintages. Also floral with first signs of tertiary notes of wet soil. Over time more fruit-forward. Dried meat or beef jerky. Nice an round on the palate with more spices. But almost falling a bit off balance and closing down after 1.5-2h or so.

9/5/2018 - sirpat00 wrote:

Hommage à Jacques Perrin vertical tasting: Tasted as part of a Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin vertical (2015, 2014, 2013, 2011, 2009, 2007, 2004, 1999) with owner Matthieu Perrin hosted by Arvi in Zurich. See the tasting story intro for more bibs and bobs on the event and some feedback from Matthieu.

Bright strawberry but again some dimension of a darker fruit as well, at least initially. Also a bit more speicey and herbal than the 2015. Also fresh and pretty well balanced with a soft texture. Still a very good amount of acidity but also less power than the 2015. Over time more sweet spices and baking spices. Overell less amazing than the 2015 but may yet evove into a stronger showing - but hard to say.

9/5/2018 - sirpat00 Likes this wine:

Hommage à Jacques Perrin vertical tasting: Tasted as part of a Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin vertical (2015, 2014, 2013, 2011, 2009, 2007, 2004, 1999) with owner Matthieu Perrin hosted by Arvi in Zurich. See the tasting story intro for more bibs and bobs on the event and some feedback from Matthieu.

Initially found some dark fruit but with a clear bright candy-like berries shining through. Sweetish savoury and something like fresh white meat. Long finish with nitro injection kicking in with full force. But nevertheless a a quite velvety texture and fine tannin structure. Full body with high level of acidity. Over 2h became less intrusive with a broader fruit profile and out of nowhere a full basket of vanilla beans. Incredibly versatile, lots of power yet still elegant. Although still needing 2-4 years of cellaring, this was my wine of the night, slightly ahead of the 2009 which was already in a perfect drinking stage but showed slightly less complexitiy.

9/6/2018 - Cailles wrote:

Hommage à Jacques Perrin Vertical (Arvino, Zurich): If you love mature, intense aged Bordeaux aromas you might like this. Although not perfectly clean, very intriguing aromatics. I liked the elegance here (and frankly, I was surprised how elegant all the wines were). Just a tad too much alcohol (or maybe the wine was just served too warm) and the ripness is on the high side. 93 points - mainly for the nice tertiary aromas.

TN: Very strong tertiar nose with barnyard, leather, black truffles, some brett - not 100% clean, slightly muddy. Underneath red fruit (but that needed some time in the glass) and herbs. Very ripe but not overripe, medium to high intensity and length. Very elegant, smooth and balanced once the overbearing first barnyard nose blew off a little. Good structure. So smooth, soft, fresh enough and well balanced.

Decant: 1 hour in the decanter seems about right to get the balance.

9/6/2018 - Cailles wrote:

Hommage à Jacques Perrin Vertical (Arvino, Zurich): Too ripe, too roasted, too porty, too oxidativ, too much alcohol for my taste. Others liked it much more than I do, so if you don‘t shy away from such wines, go for it.

TN: Lots of dark (plum, fig) and some red (strawberry?) fruit, baking spices, bacon fat, roasted herbs (rosemary), and a lot of CDP spices together with the above mentioned oxidative notes on the nose and the palate. Structure wise fully resolved tannins, ok freshness, with a tad excess alcohol.

Decant: No decant needed.

9/6/2018 - Cailles wrote:

Hommage à Jacques Perrin Vertical (Arvino, Zurich): Unfortunately, only slow-oxed for three hours. This wine was completely closed down, hollow mid palate, low complexity, low aromatic density, short and rather simple. Even after two hours in the glass and a lot of swirling nothing. One could sense the ripeness here but difficult to judge if too ripe and roasted or not. Structure seems good with good ripe tannins and a good acidic backbone. My reaction to this highly acclaimed wine from the highly acclaimed vintage: sell my bottles tomorrow. But after talking to Matthieu Perrin on my way out he said that that would be the wrong decision. I have to believe him as he said that despite the unpredictability of the development of a wine he was “200% certain” that the wine will come back and become much better with some more years in the cellar. No rating today.

Decant: If you open a bottle today give it at least 6 hours in the decanter, probably even more time is needed.

9/6/2018 - Cailles wrote:

Hommage à Jacques Perrin Vertical (Arvino, Zurich): At first, my wine of the night but the 2015 improved by the minute and finally surpassed it. Not as much potential as the 2015 but just in a very good spot to drink now. Some points deducted for the nose but on the palate a very good CDP with a burgundian soul. Will not be among the most long-lived wines.

TN: Clean, medium- intense and harmonic nose with nice forest floor, barnyard, dark fruit and some spices. On the palate ripe but not overripe dark and dark red fruit, some herbal scents, with time more red strawberries and again the barnyard/truffle aromas. Very round and elegant, fresh with resolved, fine-grained tannins, fully integrated acidity. Medium+ strawberry and tertiary aroma driven finish.

Decant: Was best after 1 hour in the glass, so some air might not hurt.

9/6/2018 - Cailles wrote:

Hommage à Jacques Perrin Vertical (Arvino, Zurich): I loved all the meaty notes here. In addition, the wine is quite elegant. Seems to be in a good drinking window. I’m wondering, however, if it has enough structure to live long enough to gain complexity and intensity.

TN: Lovely, medium+ intense nose full of animalic notes, wet earth, dark and dark red fruit. Very round and balanced. Same aromatic profile on the palate. Well developed, round, smooth and delicate with all components well integrated. Medium complexity and intensity. Medium tertiary aroma driven finish.

Decant: A short 30 minutes decant will do the job.

9/6/2018 - Cailles wrote:

Hommage à Jacques Perrin Vertical (Arvino, Zurich): I initially loved this wine, delicate, round, fine with sweet strawberries and nice complexity with first tertiary aromatics shining through. But it closed down quite quickly and all the drinking fun was gone. While at first we’re taking about a 94-95 experience, it ended up several points below that. Seems better and deeper than the 2014, but clearly weaker than the promising 2015.

TN: Closed down after 60 minutes. Before that clean, medium+ intense nose with red cherries, strawberry candy, slight garrigue and earthy tones. Even more complex on the palate with additional notes of smoke and bacon. Was drinking well with round tannins, well integrated acidity.

Decant: Do not decant it or decant it for a long time (6-8h?). Better just wait 5 years.

9/6/2018 - Cailles wrote:

Hommage à Jacques Perrin Vertical (Arvino, Zurich): Quite a nice wine, a bit riper, darker than the 2015 but not as deep an exciting. The wine shut-down after 60 minutes in the glass and was not that pleasurable anymore. I'm not sure about the longevity of this vintage. I suppose it will be great in 5 years (just as the 2009 which is in a perfect drinking spot) but it probably doesn't have the acidic backbone to live for 10 or 15 more years. Rather one of the weaker vintages in terms of depth but ripeness/extraction level is much better than vintages around the turn of the century.

TN: This wine had a good start with a clean, intense dark fruit, earth and chocolate nose. Much darker (and slightly riper) fruit profile than the 2015 on the palate but accompanied with a nice flower component. Slightly hollow mid-palate and a good, medium long and dark red fruit driven finish. Good structure with ripe, soft tannins, well integrated acidity and good balance. Not overly complex and intense and unfortunately, it closed down quite quickly.

Decanting: Do not decant it or decant it for a long time (6-8h?). Better just wait 5 years.

9/6/2018 - Cailles wrote:

Hommage à Jacques Perrin Vertical (Arvino, Zurich): Something great in the making. So much development in the glass, sweet and sexy without being heavy or overripe. Great nose, good aromatic precision, good freshness and balance on the plus side. Some deductions for the (yet to develop) complexity and the not (yet?) so special finish. I suppose that the signature 2015 acidity will continue to carry all the fruit quite nicely and will make this a long-lasting wine. 95 points with more upside.

TN: Initially rather monolithic with an overbearing acidity on the nose and palate. It opened up nicely after 3 hours in the glass with sweet red strawberries, herbal scents, baking spices and later very intense pure vanilla beans. Same picture on the palate. Medium+ to high aroma intensity and a good precision with a sweet fresh strawberries core. Finish ok, but nothing overly exciting. Good structure with noticeable but smooth tannins and a lot of freshness (I guess this wine will have a long life).

Decanting: As said above, this needed 3 hours in the glass (after 2 hours slow-ox). My suggestion is to decant it for at least 5 hours if you open a bottle today.

9/5/2018 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:

Rhone Admissions (Vaucluse): I think this might have been the wine that most exceeded expectations for the night. Which might just have been that my expectations were too low. This is the wine that started us down the Rhone journey. After 5 hours in a decanter a few years ago it was a complete and total revelation. It's still too young to be drinking, but we wanted to share that experience this evening. I still think the thing that stands out with these wines is the structure. It is power and elegance all at the same time. Lots of violets and black fruits. Well-balanced. Continued to open up through dinner. I saved some for the end and was well-rewarded. Awesome wine.

8/18/2018 - Renevin Likes this wine:

Ouf, tout un vin. Le nez est en perpétuel changement, très floral par moment, pour devenir un peu viande, ensuite épicé. ...bref pleins d arômes et de profondeur. En bouche, il est puissant, rond , les tanins veloutés et d une belle longueur. Son seul défaut, la bouteille se boit trop vite.

8/11/2018 - drdan8 Likes this wine:

I enjoyed this wine immensely even at this young age. It triggered flashbacks to some of the great wines I have had the pleasure to consume over the years.... such as the 2001 Aldo Conterno Gran Bussia, the 2005 Colgin IX, and the 1996 vintage Krug.

Uncorked and transferred to a wide bowl for 1 hour. Vivid dark purple hue with deep magenta tones. There was absolutely ZERO hint of barnyard or funk on the nose. Explosive bouquet of garrigue, sugar coated blackberry, assorted herbs, menthol, purple plum, and hints of wintergreen. My nose kept coming back to the stem to enjoy the ever changing nuance.

Like liquid silk on the palate.... gliding effortlessly. The taste is all about the licorice for now; black, red, and any other species imaginable. Pristine dark fruit with a refined quality. Tannin is suave and integrating nicely. There is considerable heat here but it does not detract from the wines impeccable balance.

Paired with simple 8 month aged Manchego cheese and soda crackers. If this wine retains some semblance of its intoxicating fruit, it's going to be even better in 8-10 years. Alas I have no more... and it is crazy expensive on the secondary. Anyone willing to share in the next decade.... Please contact me.

7/27/2018 - mmcdds Likes this wine:

It's been a few years since I last tasted this wine. Tonight it was stunning! While this is a massive wine, it is still rather light on its feet with lots of penetrating red fruit, garrigue, tobacco notes and a pervasive but subtle, and delightful, barnyard undertone. To my tastes, this is in it's perfect drinking window and while there doesn't seem to be any hurry, I think I'll drink up my last bottle in the next couple of years. Just extraordinary!!

7/23/2018 - Jeff Leve wrote:

Not as clean as previous bottles, this showed a distinctive, barnyard, animal character. Still, there was a lot to like about it. Full bodied, rich, round, spicy and fresh, the tannins have melted away. The earthy kirsch sang loud and clear, but the animalistic notes demanded to be heard as well. So, some will like this specific bottle more than others.

7/6/2018 - Vinophiliac559 wrote:

Weekend in Napa; 7/5/2018-7/8/2018 (Napa, CA): 94+ This showed quite young. At first pour I got a touch of VA, that blew off after decanting. Fairly tight with darker red fruit, really started to open late in the evening. Hold or give it a good decant, very nice wine and great with dinner.

6/28/2018 - Mascarello59 Likes this wine:

From an Enomatic sample. Dark fruit, black olive, garrigues, licorice. More slender than expected but this has structure, power and a great balance. A Great wine! 95-96

6/4/2018 - psyrah wrote:

Bummer, off putting nose, solvent-like, maybe VA, drinkable, but almost no fruit, tannin gone.

4/17/2018 - TongF Likes this wine:

Very close at beginning. I had to pour out in decanter and gave it more than 2.5 hrs, very floral, mineral, rocks, pretty fruit, medium body, felt like a burgundy style and very silky in the mouth, love it! Looking forward the next decade.

5/7/2018 - SteelerFan wrote:

Great experience. The wine was light amber/burgundy in color and very hazy - leading to concerns about condition. But it drank beautifully - smooth and medium weight with spice, garrigues, cigar and still ample fruit. May not improve, but great now so drink before it goes over the edge.

5/3/2018 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:

Hommage a DryCab - Washington Wines release; 5/3/2018-5/5/2018 (Various spots in Walla Walla): This wine needs just a lot more time to really be what it should be. We decanted for prob 4 hours and that was prob a good start. Perhaps of all of the wines this night it was the one that evolved most in the glass. In the beginning it was just young and tight and not quite ready. After a few hours sitting out it was black fruits and spice and herbs and again that structure that makes me appreciate this wine so much. Tasty, but will hold on the other bottles.

5/3/2018 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:

Hommage a DryCab - Washington Wines release; 5/3/2018-5/5/2018 (Various spots in Walla Walla): Still a total baby. Not sure if there was any decanting that happened with this, but it certainly felt like it started a bit tighter. Still not quite the same structure that you see on some of the hommages that usually stands out to me. Dark red fruits. Black pepper. A bit of tannin. A wine that needs some more years, but really benefited from some time in the glass. Fun to also try next to the '99.

4/23/2018 - King Julien wrote:

Decanted about 4 hours. Very nice nose but palate wasn't ready. This bottle needed more time.

4/14/2018 - _water.into.wine_ Likes this wine:

Clear and translucent. Dark red (no purple tones). Medium legs and medium to full bodied. Perfume on the nose, with cherries and spice, with oak still very much dominant given its youth. Tannins are soft, fine and well integrated, but with a big structure that will see this last decades. A truly lovely wine that I would love to revisit in a decade. A great experience.

Drink 2025-2040+

*Drank blind with Jack and Steve. Incredibly I called CNDP and Beaucastel.

3/23/2018 - ashikoh Likes this wine:

Lisa Perrotti Brown Hospice du Rhône Seminar (Blackberry Farm): dark ruby violet, meaty, black pepper, chewy tannins, long spicy fish, made from 60% Mourvèdre, this cuvée made only in top vintages

9/23/2014 - Sleepy Dave wrote:

captivating complex aromas of licorice, sweet black fruits, spices and mineral. Not as deep and broad compared to some other vintages, say 98/01 but the finesse and class is equal. Maturing, the tannin is almost fully resolved. Smooth and silky, finished with excellent energy.

8/31/2017 - Sleepy Dave wrote:

2010 has all materials for a superb wine. Though structured, it has no hard edge. Incredible depth and richness but nothing out of place w the minerality and acidity that keeping the wine in focus. 2 decades too early.

8/31/2017 - Sleepy Dave wrote:

SL dinner

2004 has mellowed down and shows great delineation w great purity and length, just a touch leaner (still very good concentration) compared to the great 2010.

3/24/2018 - Sen4469 Likes this wine:

Tasted alongside the 2015,2012,2009 and 2001. Very good but I prefer the 2009 and the 2001 which was the best one today. But any of these one are excellent.

3/24/2018 - Sen4469 Likes this wine:

Very good wine. Young with great a future.

3/24/2018 - Sen4469 Likes this wine:

Tasted after the after the 2015 Hommage. 3 years makes a difference. Better. Great future.

3/24/2018 - Sen4469 wrote:

Good but young. Not very expressive today. Better in 10 years.

3/24/2018 - Sen4469 Likes this wine:

Absolutely beautiful mature wine! Total pleasure! Wow.

3/7/2018 - rlove wrote:

Raspberry, fig, dried herbs, and a hint of cedar. Incredible concentration and intensity. This has the stuffing to age for decades. Drink starting 2022.

3/9/2018 - la turque wrote:

Almost perfect, and squarely in its drinking window. Gave this an hour in the decanter. The aroma could be enjoyed from a couple of feet away. Sexy aromas of raspberries, red fruits, umami, forest floor and perfume. Silky on the palate with impeccable balance, and a finish that lasted forever. A big wine, yet light on its feet. The only slight detractor was a slight bitterness on the finish, but that’s dancing on the end of a pin.

2/16/2018 - DENNISREITZ wrote:

- It's balanced with a medium/full body. Juicy texture with a long finish - Solid, with a core of fig and blackberry fruit that fans out steadily from start to finish as lightly singed juniper, tobacco and brick dust notes waft through. Latent acidity holds the finish. Best from 2017 through 2028.

2/11/2018 - MC wrote:

French label. Decanted an hour and enjoyed over the next hour. This was great, as expected. Maybe not as lush as I was expecting, but great concentration and balance, dark fruits, earth. Really good with food (game) but also nice after dinner. Just a touch more tannin showing than I remember with the last bottle, but nothing distracting and if anything suggesting a long life for this wine - and might even improve a bit. But in a very good spot now even if this bottle was just short of the one I had last. A-/A

1/19/2018 - Derek Darth Taster Likes this wine:

Aired in bottle for an hour before drinking.
Appearance is clear, medium intensity almost deep, ruby colour. Legs.
Nose is not clean, with aromas of bretty animal, meat, fur hide, leather, dark red plums, dark red cherries, black cherries, garrigue. The brett diminishes with more air time, serving to showcase the sexy dark fruits more. Developed.
On the palate, dry, medium+ acidity, medium+ alcohol (13.5%), tongue-coating high tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of sexy dark red plums, dark red cherries, black cherries, animal meat, leather, fur hide, vein of stony minerality, sweet herbes de Provenace. Long finish.
Very very good quality. Sexy beast. Savoury and brooding, acidity just not bright enough for me. I would drink it sooner rather than later - it is already very good.

1/6/2018 - MC wrote:

PC label. Decanted an hour. Dark fruit, great balance, with the complexity of the Grenache and Mouvedre really shining tonight. Some secondaries of game and leather but it was the fruit that I remember most. This was just what I was hoping would show through after a disappointing bottle a year ago. Wonderful wine. A