2022 Vinsobres, Les Hauts de Julien, Famille Perrin, Rhône
Critics reviews
Cask sample. Meaty and smoked game on the nose. Wild and ripe – very firm and elegant. The tannins are clay-like and the oak comes through on the finish here. Very wild and rustic – earthy and deep. Needs time!
Drink 2027 - 2034
Alistair Cooper MW, JancisRobinson.com (October 2023)
Dark, inky colour. The oak is quite dominating aromatically at this early stage, but it has great concentration and immensely smooth tannins. Dark chocolate, black olive, blackberry. Very impressive, the oak will integrate eventually. Clay-like tannins on the finish. Makes a big impact, a big impression. But wait until it's ready, around 2030. From a 4ha parcel, making 6,000 bottles; 50% is pre-phylloxera. 100% aged in demi-muids, 50% new, 50% one-year-old, for 24 months.
Drink 2030 - 2042
Matt Walls, Decanter (September 2023)
About this WINE
La Famille Perrin
The Domaine Perrin is a négociant brand created in 1997 by François Perrin and his brother Jean-Pierre, Pierre's father, and since 1999 run by Pierre. The Perrin family are owners of the famous Châteauneuf-du-Pape estate Château de Beaucastel.
As with the wines at Beaucastel, the Domaine Perrin wines are impeccably made and reflect the true nature of the terroir from which they come. The wines made are all from the neighbouring Southern Rhône appellations to Châteauneuf-du-Pape, such as Vacqueyras and Gigondas. The reds are based on Grenache, but with other Rhône grape varieties, such as Syrah, Mourvedre and Cinsault.
The Perrins are one of the most reliable wine families in the Rhône valley, truly a name to look out for.
Vinsobres
Vinsobres, along with Beaumes de Venise, has cause for celebration, , having been promoted to a stand-alone appellation in 2006 - in the vein of Gigondas or Vacqueyras - but now overtaking Cairanne and 12 or so other Cote du Rhone villages, in the local hierarchy.
This is primarily due to the relative altitude of the vines being recognised for lending complexity and structure to the wines. None are better at demonstrating this than the husband and wife team Philippe and Valérie Chaume Arnaud.
Southern Rhône Blend
The vast majority of wines from the Southern Rhône are blends. There are 5 main black varieties, although others are used and the most famous wine of the region, Châteauneuf du Pape, can be made from as many as 13 different varieties. Grenache is the most important grape in the southern Rhône - it contributes alcohol, warmth and gentle juicy fruit and is an ideal base wine in the blend. Plantings of Syrah in the southern Rhône have risen dramatically in the last decade and it is an increasingly important component in blends. It rarely attains the heights that it does in the North but adds colour, backbone, tannins and soft ripe fruit to the blend.
The much-maligned Carignan has been on the retreat recently but is still included in many blends - the best old vines can add colour, body and spicy fruits. Cinsault is also backtracking but, if yields are restricted, can produce moderately well-coloured wines adding pleasant-light fruit to red and rosé blends. Finally, Mourvèdre, a grape from Bandol on the Mediterranean coast, has recently become an increasingly significant component of Southern Rhône blends - it often struggles to ripen fully but can add acidity, ripe spicy berry fruits and hints of tobacco to blends.
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Description
Barrel samples.
The Vinsobres cru sits on pebbly marl, renowned for fruit freshness. Les Hauts de Julien is a vineyard of 90-year-old Syrah and Grenache vines at 300m altitude, co-planted and co-fermented to enhance the region’s unique characteristics. The bouquet evokes sweet, wild strawberries and dark chocolate with subtle lavender. The rich, velvety palate evokes blackberry, liquorice and vanilla. The warming, herbal finish has an intriguing tomato leaf note.
Drink 2024 - 2034
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