2008 Coudoulet de Beaucastel Rouge

Very sweet and gamey and jammy but not nearly as exciting as the Charvin! A bit gypsy and rich. (JR)

As for the red wines, very few 2008s were produced at Chateau Beaucastel, but the 2008 Beaucastel Cotes du Rhone Coudoulet red is a pleasant, straightforward effort that was less impressive from bottle than it was last year from barrel. Peppery garrigue and soft red currant and cherry fruit intermixed with a distinct herbaceousness and lightness kept my score low. The Perrin brothers, Jean-Pierre and Francois, and their sons, Thomas, Marc, Pierre and Mathieu, have long owned over 200 acres of top sites in Chateauneuf du Pape and can now claim over 1,000 acres in the southern Rhone as their empire under the Perrin et Fils label expands considerably. This is good news for consumers as the Perrins, one of the great winemaking families of France, are dedicated to producing high quality wines, preserving top terroirs, and to providing a range of wines in all price ranges that are as good as consumers can expect. Purchasing a wine from this family is about as close to a guarantee of authenticity and high quality as one can expect. There is no secret to surviving the recent world-wide recession and fragile economy. No matter what field one is in – wine, the service industry, product development, etc., one has to over deliver in order to keep consumers happy. Don’t do that, expect a dwindling economic return and possible failure. The Perrins long ago adopted this philosophy, even in boom times. Speaking of wines that over deliver, readers should be searching out the super inexpensive, bargain priced La Vieille Ferme offerings. The Perrins have put together a terrific portfolio of top wines from the leading Cotes du Rhone Villages. With the exception of the estate wines in Vinsobres, they are all dominated by Grenache. To date, the finest wines have emerged from the 2007 vintage, but very strong efforts have been produced in 2009. Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802

Bright ruby. Fresh red berries, olive and licorice on the nose. Fresh, sharply delineated raspberry and cherry flavors are framed by dusty tannins and given grip by a tangy mineral note. The finish is a touch gritty but surprisingly persistent, the olive note repeating. Marc Perrin told me that the yield from these vines was only about 10 hl/ha in 2008.