Famille Perrin - Les Crus, Les Cardinaux, AOC Côtes du Rhône Villages, Rouge, 2022

This wine is produced by the Perrin family, using the same viticultural and wine-making techniques used at Château de Beaucastel.

The 2022 vintage experienced contrasting climatic hazards which allowed to offer good quality grapes and a very promising aromatic complexity, with however a heterogeneous volume depending on the plots. Winter and spring were particularly mild and very dry, with the months of January and May proving to be the driest since the start of the 20th century, with record temperatures in May and June. These conditions allowed to maintain an excellent sanitary state of the vines, thanks to a total absence of disease. The summer was then very sunny with high temperatures that presaged high potential in terms of alcohol, but saving rains in mid-August allowed the grapes to slowly continue to mature. The harvest thus began on August 19th in very good conditions and 11 days ahead of 2021. It was punctuated by a few rainfalls in September which did not alter the superb quality of the grapes but made it necessary to carry out a light sorting in the vineyard. We have worked our rosés with finesse, for elegant, fruity and low-alcohol wines. The reds were gently vinified with delicate extractions which reveal particularly balanced wines. The first tastings suggest a 2022 vintage full of promise, with complex and aromatic palates and great balance.

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.

Stony terraces over clay and limestone and gravel.

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.