Famille Perrin Côtes-du-Rhône Villages Rouge - 2018

Originating from different terroirs in Côtes du Rhône Villages, this wine is one of the most faithful illustrations of the Southern Rhône Valley.

Presentation

Presentation
This wine is produced by the Perrin family, using the same viticultural and wine-making techniques used at Château de Beaucastel.
The vintage
The 2018 vintage is characterised by exceptional weather conditions. Flowering took place in the best possible conditions, with a historically abundant grape output. A few rainy episodes at the end of the spring complicated things a little with an attack of mildew, but the good weather then settled down until harvest, which took place under idyllic conditions. The wines are beautiful.
Location
Just 20% of the Côtes-du-Rhône vineyard is entitled to add the word ‘Villages’ after the words ‘Côtes-du-Rhône’. These are the best vineyard sites.
Terroir
Stony terraces over clay and limestone and gravel.
Ageing
The harvest date is determined by checking the ripeness of the grapes with analysis and tasting the berries. As soon as they arrive at the winery, the grapes are sorted and destemmed. The fermentation takes place in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks between 150hl and 190hl. The extraction is done by pumping over and the frequency is determined by tasting. After racking and malolactic fermentation, the wines are transferred partly to oak barrels, partly to oak Foudres and finally the rest goes into stainless steel vats where they will be aged for a year.
Varietals
Grenache
Syrah

Advice

Serving
Serve at 18°C
Tasting
Beautiful deep purple colour. The very expressive nose reveals aromas of blackberries and pepper. The warm, opulent and full-bodied mouth is well balanced and structured, with notes of jammy fruit, redcurrant jelly and black olives. This wine offers great length on the palate.

Reviews

90/100
""Friendly in feel, with crushed plum, black cherry and raspberry fruit mixed together with a lacing of black licorice on the finish. A subtle juniper echo adds range. Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Drink now through 2022."
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90/100
"For more than a generation, stretching all the way back to the late 1980s, the go-to wine for very good Côtes du Rhône was Guigal. The offerings from Jaboulet or Chapoutier have never really measured up, and though Chapoutier is getting closer, this negociant offering from the Perrin family (famous for Château Beaucastel and distinctive from the others on grounds of being based in the south) is now arguably the best of the lot. The Guigal version is quite late in being released, vintage wise, which has the virtue of making it a bit more complex aromatically, but often not as fresh and versatile with food as this wine, which excels in both respects. The 2018 is lovely, with very pure fruit notes recalling pie cherries and red raspberries above all, indicating the predominance of Grenache in the blend. There’s not the slightest hint of over-ripeness here, nor any heaviness, not any rough tannins or overt wood, making this a great year-round sipping wine but also one suited to all sorts of foods—bird, beast or fish—including spicy preparations. This is not a bowl-you-over wine (Perrin’s “Nature” bottling can serve that purpose), but rather one that is very precise and…again, pure."
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