Hommage à Jacques Perrin 2018

Essence of framboise is joined by layers of garrigue-like complexity, rich, meaty notes and a generous dusting of Asian five spice blend in the stunning 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage à Jacques Perrin. This is full-bodied but incredibly silky, combining great purity, richness and length into a seamless, elegant package that should give immense pleasure for decades to come. 

It was clear right out of the gate that 2018 would be an excellent vintage of Hommage à Jacques Perrin, and two years on you can see how it is shaping up to be both powerful and self-contained. The fruit character is savoury and mouthwatering, with light flicks of spiced cedar, garrigue, sour cherry and grilled raspberry. This is so good, maintaining grip right through the palate and stretching out the flavour with a saline kissed finish. Organic. Drinking Window 2024 - 2045. 

Lastly, the 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape Hommage A Jacques Perrin showed beautifully, and while it doesn’t hit the heights of the 2001, 2007, 2010, 2016, or 2017, it’s a beautiful expression of this cuvée that deserves a place in the cellar. Revealing a deep purple hue as well as a kaleidoscope-like array of blueberries, charred meat, graphite, ground pepper, violets, and garrigue, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a layered, seamless texture, building tannins, and a magical finish. It doesn’t have the sheer wealth of material found in truly great vintage and stays compact and focused on the palate, but it has beautiful depth of fruit and intensity, as well as a seamlessness to its tannins. I suspect it will be relatively approachable by this cuvee’s standards, yet it still has enough structure and tannins to warrant a solid 7-8 years of bottle age. Given its balance, freshness, and purity, it’s going to age beautifully.