2010 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Les Sinards

Under the Perrin et Fils label, the family also produces a Chateauneuf du Pape called Les Sinards. Their 2010 includes purchased grapes as well as declassified portions from the rather large Beaucastel vineyard. This is mostly a Grenache cuvee compared to their estate Chateauneuf du Papes, which have less Grenache and much more Mourvedre and Counoise, Syrah and other authorized varietals. The wine is deep, lush, and meant to be drunk in its first 7-8 years of life. It is quite heady and very Provencal in its style. (Not yet released) As I said last year, the Perrin family is a large one indeed, with brothers Jean-Pierre and Francois sitting at the top of the hierarchy and their four sons, Mathieu, Pierre, Thomas and Marc increasingly taking charge of their negociant business and their extensive estates throughout Southern Rhone. Now controlling over 1200 acres, as well as having a network of contracts, this operation is the equivalent of a major Southern Rhone train operating at high speed. Moreover, they are doing some incredible work in all price ranges. Other 2011s that the Perrin boys have produced include the following wines, which were very good across the board, especially for 2011s. In particular, readers need to take a hard look at their estate in Vinsobres, which is making the finest wines of that appellation, and more recently, what they are doing in Gigondas with the estate they purchased there, Clos des Tourelles. These are special wines. There are now three cuvees of Gigondas from the Perrins - the Gigondas La Gille, the Gigondas Vieilles Vignes and the Gigondas Clos des Tourelles. All three merit serious attention. Tasting the 2010s, which were all set to go into bottle right after my visit, certainly shows that this vintage is impressive, although I'm not sure that Marc and Pierre Perrin haven't done as good a job with their selections in 2011. Three cuvees of Gigondas look to all have outstanding potential and will probably be in bottle by the time this report is published. Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802

70% Grenache, 15% Syrah and 15% Mourvèdre. The grapes are predominantly sourced from the young vines at Ch de Beaucastel itself, with smaller amounts coming from the Perrin family vineyards near the centre of the village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and the nearby commune of Orange, on soils made up of diluvial alpine deposits and round pebbles. Once the grapes are picked, part of the harvest is vinified using a special technique of flash heating the grapes to nearly 80 °C, a technique very specific to Château de Beaucastel and the Perrin family. The remainder of the grapes are vinified traditionally after de-stemming. The wine then matures in large oak casks for around one year and is then bottled after fining and a light filtration. Dark crimson. Cough drop nose. Dry start and then a spread of spice and fruit on the palate. A little young really with the tannins in evidence, though more forward than its Ch de Beaucastel stablemate. Dry finish. Sincere. (JR)

The  2010 Famille Perrin Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Sinards comes from the young vines of Château de Beaucastel and is named after the road Chemin les Sinards. A blend of roughly 70% Grenache - and the balance Syrah and Mourvedre - it exhibits textbook southern Rhône aromas of herbs de Provence, garrigue, leather, and licorice that are supported by a core of both red and black fruits. This full-bodied Châteauneuf-du-Pape is beautifully textured, long, and seamless, with an overriding elegance and suppleness that will allow it to drink well young, yet also age well. Enjoy bottles over the coming decade.