Lunch with Pierre Perrin, Chateau Beaucastel

In Hong Kong at the end of a week traveling across Asia, Pierre Perrin from Ch. Beaucastel kindly accepted our invitation to lunch, attended by three of us associated with the restaurant and four other wine afficianados.

It was a relaxed and informative guided tour through what makes Beaucastel special and how this lovely wine evolves over three decades....accompanied by an exquisite 4-course lunch prepared by Chef Patrick to compliment the wines.

• 2006 Château de Beaucastel Côtes du Rhône Coudoulet de Beaucastel Blanc 84 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône

  Dark yellow gold pee colour. Nose is pine cone resin, ripe peaches, peach stones, some plum and a touch of gasoline. Palate is oily, viscous, mouthcoating, framed with moderate acidity that just stops it from cloying, rich but not my kind of thing. Served as an aperitif and would probably have shown better with food...... I like the idea of pairing it with mild Indian food, as suggested by another CT taster.

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• 2006 Château de Beaucastel Côtes du Rhône Coudoulet de Beaucastel 86 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône

  Dark blood red, semi-transparent colour. Classic rich fruity Cotes Du Rhone nose but still full of young and primary notes such as box-wood. Similar on the palate. Enjoyable and clearly very well made. Served as an aperitif but this really needed a mid-week evening meal of spaghetti bolognese or beouf bourguignon to give it context.

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Veal Tatare, Green Olive Tapenade & Jerusalem Artichokes Cappuccino
&
Figs & Foie Gras Terrine with Syrah and Red Beetroot "Marmalade"

• 1988 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 92 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Light, dusky red colour with full transparency. Nose is absolutely gorgeous and complex....old leather armchairs, damp wild boar you smell in their enclosure at the zoo, red liquorice confectionery, black fresh liquorice stick, cinnamon stick and fresh-shaved nutmeg. Palate is initially very contrasting.... surprisingly light, sharp and high notes of acidity, lean but muscuar tannins and then opening out into lovely leathery, nutmeggy and prunes nuances. Dilute.....but not dilute; like a very old Barolo. Feminine. Has a very nice dusty tannins end followed by a light but very persistent resonance inside the head on the finish. A gorgeous fully mature wine that is drinking perfectly.

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Pan Fried Hokkaido Scallop, Brioche Butter with Portobello & Grignan Black Truffle Rillette.

• 2002 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Cuvée Roussanne Vieilles Vignes 91 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Made from 70 year-old vines, with surprisingly half the fruit fermented in stainless steel....which you wouldn't guess from the rich urine gold colour, which is "beyond yellow" as Pierre Perrin observed. Nose is really immediately enticing with opulence and complexity....star anise, honeysuckle and ripe warm pineapple, fresh ripe apricot, very honeyed, toasted white bread, marshmallow, hazelnut and some whiff of gasoline. Palate is very deep rich buttery, burnt caramel, slightly oily mouthfeel, viscous, acacia honey then nettles and then freshening up on the back end into fresh-sliced bananas. Some length and a touch of resonance inside the head on the finale. This is a seriously heavyweight white wine and paired perfectly with the Hokkaido scallop and black truffle portobello mushroom rillette.

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Quick-Roast Half Quail, Rosemary Jus & Golden Chicken Liver and Confit Duck Gizzard Parcel.

• 1995 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 90 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Blood red, deep but fully translucent colour. Nose is more reticent and high-toned than the preceding 1988...nail varnish remover, freshly sawn box-wood and all very young. Palate is very nice and in a higher league......sharp red fruits getting a bit dusty, sharp almost cola-ish acidity and zing, black cherry, some temple smoke and prunes but mixed with cherry stones on the finish, leaving an impression of unharmonised youth. Young. Needs food. Still considerably tannic. Dry on the end. There are hints of resonance on the finale. Seems asleep. Is currently lost midway between the opulent youth of the 2007 and the feminine charm of the 1988.

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Banon Cheese Tartine, Mini Warm & Crispy Chestnut Candy Parcel, Home-Made Quince Jelly.

• 2007 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 93 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Dark purple-red translucent colour. Nose is very tightly closed....precise but all fresh box-wood. Palate is very nice indeed......velvety, rich ripe black cherry-driven pure fruit, vanilla pods, cream soda - very young and primary but drinking beautifully. Tons of rich vanilla ice cream on the finish. Great length but slightly inky and headachey resonance inside the head because of its youth. Absolutely delicious......which is saying something because my normal preference is for much older wines, such as the 1988 we drank alongside this.

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M. Perrin observed that his wines are made specifically to be approachable when young but also to have very long-term ageing potential. Based on today's tasting, the trade-off is that the wines go through an extended sleeping period in middle-age.