May 12, 2024 - Nice wine but preferred the Gigondas from the same producer.
April 19, 2024 - Juste sublime. Bel équilibre, du fruit, un peu de hois et de tanin mais pas trop. Pour lenprix c’esttop
April 1, 2024 - Good quality as expected from Famille Perrin. A little softer and richer than a standard Cotes du Rhone or at least those I have had recently. It opens up nicely over time. Good value to pair with foods you might pair with a more expensive Chateauneuf.
March 21, 2024 - Restaurant pnp. Nose shows red cherry fruit but is on the softer side. While the fruit is tannic and dark at first, it quickly softens into an easily approachable quaff.
Wouldn't ever decant this and while not as complex as the 2020, it's an easy drinker and a good value. I'd happily pick up a few of these for weekdays and summer afternoons in the pool.
March 18, 2024 - Decanted one hour. Dark ruby. Smelled black cherry, blackberry, red fruit, and herbs; the taste adds in some black pepper and emphasized the savory herbs a bit more. Rather young and tannic, with enough acidity and certainly enough body to make it pleasant now with food. Finishes medium and fruity.
March 2, 2024 - My Day 1 notes consistent with MKS83 below. Lovely nose hints at future pleasure. Not ready yet, 2-5 years at least. Thick seam of bitterness, drying tannins and maybe just a hint of greenness (vintage?) From a spotty and generally very average vintage in the Southern Rhone: this was one of the highlights. Perrin thought it a good Coudoulet and so did the critics. Some heat from the alcohol. Much to enjoy. Way more complex, long and broad than it has any right to be at this price point. This cuvée regularly over-delivers (like the Guigal CdR) and is fantastic value. Definitely a mini CNdP. Should easily last a decade or more, no rush. Give it plenty of air if trying soon.
February 24, 2024 - Day 1: slightly purplish garnet color, very dark and blackish at the core (but consistently with some clearness). The nose confirms the color, consisting of blackberry, dark sour plum, cooked raspberry, violet/flower petals, pencil lead, and menthol - overall polished with solid core. In the mouth, clean attack is followed by good tension between sharp acidity and medium-high powdery/dusty and tight tannins. The finish feels riper - the acidity recedes and some alcohol heat and soft grape innerskin-like waxy sweetness dominates. Overall, excellent potential but still closed and a little awkward/edgy. Not rated today (89-90ish for now).
Day 2-4: no improvement. Harshness/roughness at the surface got worse (although the core is still good). Gained red potato skin and fast food meat/BBQ sauce wildness on the nose. Overall an awkward mixture of cheap (surprisingly from this producer, too much SO2?) and excellent, now I’m a bit skeptical if aging will help. 87-89.
Day 5 - I discovered the right food pairing - Korean Kimchi-tofu soup to kill the harshness. That gives an illusion of good CNDP.
February 18, 2024 - Very well done and better than some Châteauneuf-du-Papes, tho on the lighter side. Splendid integration of spicy fruit with a touch of oak. 40% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre, 20% Syrah, 10% Cinsault.
February 11, 2024 - A juicy and fruit driven offering from the Perrins, with a wide range of red fruits and some interesting cherry Kool-Aid notes, but this is more than an adult fruit prunch; violets, red cherries, raspberries, strawberries, and currants are all in abundance- as is the freshness. But with the high alcohol (14%) and tannins, this is also a structured wine. No oak influence or other secondary charateristic of note, having been aged in neutral vessels. The vineyard for this wine runs along the crown jewel Chateau de Beaucastel vineyards, but evidently not included in the appelation. "Coudoulet" is otherwise made in the same manner by the same team, and luckily at a fraction of the price.
February 7, 2024 - GSM blend, just across the road on Beaucastel CNDP. Very fruit driven, maybe tricky vintage not showing this wine the best?