5 | Wine | Chateauneuf Du Pape | Page 3

"Deep purple, with loads of bouquet garni, beef blood, blackberry, kirsch, smoke and truffle, this wine is full-bodied, rich and showing even better than it did last year. I still think it needs 3-5 years of cellaring, and it should last for 25-30 years, as most of the top vintages of Beaucastel do." -Robert Parker

"Provides a textbook display of the vintage's profile, with racy acidity leading the way, allowing the ripe blueberry, plum and blackberry fruit flavors to course along while toasted spice and pastis notes fill in on the nicely grippy, saturated-but-fresh finish. A nice blue-chip for the cellar."

"It is unquestionably one of the wines of the vintage. ...A deep ruby/plum color is followed by a big, sweet nose of boysenberries, raspberries, licorice, nori seaweed wrap, black currants and earth. Full-bodied, with beautiful texture, purity, depth and power, the 2009 is a notch behind the extraordinary 2007. It should drink well for 20+ years." 91-94 pts, reviewed by Robert Parker.

"Sexy, high-pitched aromas of raspberry preserves, blackberry, minerals and pungent flowers. Concentrated but not at all heavy; gently sweet red and dark berry flavors show a seamless quality and are lifted by juicy acidity. Open-knit and suave, finishing with silky tannins and good clarity."

"The 2009 Chateauneuf du Pape Tradition (80% Grenache, 10% Mourvedre and the rest Syrah, Cinsault and Counoise) is a beauty. The Tradition has slightly more Mourvedre in the final blend than the Cuvee Girard. Both are dark ruby/purple-colored, full-bodied wines displaying lots of garrigue, black cherry, black currant and earthy flavors, good richness, sweet tannins and abundant glycerin as well as opulence." Reviewed by Robert Parker.

"The 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape Tradition was even better than when I tasted it last year prior to bottling. A wine of great intensity, it may be the finest Tradition cuvee yet made at Bosquet des Papes. Its opaque purple color is accompanied by sumptuous notes of balsam wood, roasted Provencal herbs/garrigue, sweet black raspberry and blackberry fruit and hints of truffles and lavender. This dense, full-bodied, amazing Chateauneuf is one of the top values of the vintage." -Robert Parker

"A great example of traditional Chateauneuf du Pape winemaking. A dense dark ruby color is followed by a sexy nose of raspberries, ground pepper, spice box, damp earth, kirsch and dark currants. Full-bodied, complex, elegant and already irresistible as the tannins have completely melted away, it can be drunk now and over the next 15+ years." Reviewed by Robert Parker.

"Potentially the wine of the vintage, the 2009 Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage a Jacques Perrin had just been bottled two weeks before my visit. A wine of extraordinary density, richness, precision and unreal flavor intensity, it reveals abundant gamey, meaty notes intermixed with smoked duck, Provencal herbs, blueberries, blackberries, kirsch and licorice. This loaded, multidimensional, massively concentrated 2009 is much softer than most Hommages. It should be drinkable in 3-4 years and keep for 30-40 years thereafter. Kudos to one of the world’s great winemaking families!" Reviewed by Robert Parker.

"The 2010 is a fabulous wine of exceptional intensity, tremendous flavor authority and full-bodied power. Very rich with lots of Provencal herb, smoky, meaty, kirsch, black currant and blackberry notes, it is a stunningly viscous, thick and rich effort with a slightly more vibrant finish." -Robert Parker