Tasting Notes
Robert Parker 96
Coming from a vintage that featured a hot summer followed by substantial rain in September that forced vignerons to wait until late September/early October to harvest, the 1995 Châteauneuf du Pape Hommage À Jacques Perrin (70% Mourvedre, 15% Syrah, 10% Grenache, and 5% Counoise) has the classic Beaucastel funk, with lots of olive tapenade, gamey meat, truffle and sweet currant and cherry fruit. Still structured and firm on the palate, it opens up nicely in the glass, has impressive concentration and a spine of both acidity and tannin that should keep it evolving nicely for another decade or so.
Anticipated maturity: 2015-2030
Vinous 94+
Saturated ruby-red. High-pitched, mourvedre-dominated aromas of blackberry, shoe polish and licorice, with a lightly floral topnote. Very dense and very primary, with an intense spiciness at its core. Quite powerfully structured, even austere, and perhaps already shutting down. Finishes with huge but even palate-coating tannins and great length. This will age in bottle for many years. The best red wine I tasted from bottle during my time in the Southern Rhône in December 1998.
