"This is 60% of Cinsault (unusually proportion) but perhaps that why this shows so much freshness. The balance is a blend of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre, and the result is a very fruit-forward wine with loads of watermelon and cherry fruit upfront, followed by hints of peach and chocolate on the finish."

BEST BUYS, 88 points by Wine Enthusiast July 2007

Technorati Tags: millésimes, perrin, rhone, wine

It rained about 40 millimeters on sunday. Monday morning the north wind (mistral) started to blow strongly under a nice sun and dried the grapes. We did not harvest until tuesday when we picked the grenache grapes of our Côtes-du-Rhône Perrin Réserve. This vine is located in front of the Domaine du Grand Prébois which is also the winery of Perrin & Fils.

Technorati Tags: 2006, beaucastel, perrin et fils, rhone, wine

The weather is still very nice, warm and dry. The mistral stopped and south wind is now blowing... conditions continue to be outstanding.
We have harvested some syrah today and also most of the white grapes.
We will certainly start harvesting some Grenache tomorrow in the Coudoulet and Perrin & Fils vineyards.

In the video below Matthieu Perrin does a 'pigeage' (cap-punching) on the first tanks of Syrah.

Cap-punching means pushing the solid part of the grapes, which has floated to the top of each tank, down onto the liquid part. This enables one to extract tannins and colour due to increased contact between skin and juice.

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Perrin Réserve Cotes du Rhone ranks number 1 in a nice article about good wines below 10$ in the Sept 6 issue of the new york times.

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http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2006-05-04-wine_x.htm

... in an article about screwcaps (we use scrwcaps on Perrin Réserve wines in the USA and some other markets).

Technorati Tags: beaucastel, perrin, rhone, wine

COUDOULET DE BEAUCASTEL AOC COTES DU RHONE - RED

The vineyard
Part of the Beaucastel estate, from a plot of 30 hectares (74 acres) on its Eastern flank within the Côtes du Rhône appellation.

Geology
Identical to our Châteauneuf-du-Pape vineyard, with diluvial alpine deposits, containing rolled pebbles, over a former molasse sea-bed of the miocene epoch (tertiary period).

Grape varieties
Grenache 30%, Mourvèdre 30%, Syrah 20%, Cinsault 20%.

Winemaking
Hand-picked grapes are further sorted at the winery. The skins of the whole berries are first heated to 80°C (176°F) and then cooled down to 20°C (68°F). Vatting takes place in concrete tanks and lasts for 12 days. The free-run juice is separated and the rest is pressed in a pneumatic press.

Maturing
The different grape varieties are vinified separately and then blended after malolactic fermetation. The blend is aged in large oak casks for 6 months, and bottling follows fining with egg-white.

Tasting notes
A deep ruby red colour.
The nose evokes aromas of red fruit, blackberries, black cherries and liquorice.
In the mouth one finds hints of wild thyme and a finely structured wine that shows very good length.

Serving
16°C (60°F) in a tasting glass.