2011 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Hommage a Jacques Perrin

A strong showing for this wine, the 2011 Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage à Jacques Perrin displays lovely aromas of truffle, tree bark, red raspberries and cherries. It's medium to full-bodied and remarkably fresh-tasting, with silky tannins on the long, elegant finish. What a super effort, one that should easily be capable of drinking well for more than another decade.

I continue to love the 2011 Châteauneuf du Pape Hommage A Jacques Perrin. It’s one of the more approachable vintages out there, which is very much in the style of this early maturing vintage. A huge perfume of black and blue fruits, violets, Asian spices, licorice, and garrigue all flow to a full-bodied, deep, beautifully concentrated 2011 that has sweet tannins, a rounded, sexy texture, and a great, great finish. It’s on a relatively fast evolutionary track by this cuvee's standards but will still keep for another 25 years or more.

Saturated ruby. Heady, expansive aromas of black and blue fruit liqueur, potpourri and incense, with smoky Indian spices emerging with air. Juicy, strikingly intense blackberry and blueberry flavors are complicated by notes of minerals and candied violet, with a subtle peppery quality adding bite. Velvety tannins give shape to the extremely long, spicy, penetrating finish, with the floral note echoing. This stunning, palate-staining wine gets my vote as the best Chateauneuf of its vintage.