chateau beaucastel hommage a jacques perrin 2017

"legendary châteauneuf-du-pape, the hommage à jacques perrin cuvée from the château de beaucastel is one of the greatest wines in the world. the first vintage of this prestigious vintage was born in 1989. produced in very limited quantities, the cuvée hommage à jacques perrin comes from a unique terroir of pebbles rolled on clay-limestone and loam soils in an exceptional vineyard located at the northern limit of the châteauneuf-du-pape appellation, in the rhône valley. the cuvée hommage à jacques perrin has always been unique and is assembled from the 13 grape varieties traditionally used in the appellation, favouring the presence of the mourvèdre. exceptional in terms of both quantity and quality, the 2016 vintage shows the cuvée hommage à jacques perrin 2016 as the quintessence of the châteauneuf-du-pape. after a dry and hot summer, the harvest began in late august with berries showing an exceptional sanitary condition, reached a perfect phenolic maturity and presenting a superb balance of sugar and acidity. loaded with mulberry and blueberry fruit, graced by hints of star anise, cardamom, cinnamon and allspice, the 2017 chateauneuf du pape tribute to jacques perrin is another vintage standout for this wine. full-bodied, rich, velvety and long on the finish, at this point, it’s maybe not quite as sure a thing to reach the century score as the beyond-superlative 2018, but i won’t rule it out. this is seriously great wine."