Chateau de Beaucastel Hommage a Jacques Perrin, Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2015

A classic blend of mostly Mourvèdre, the 2015 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Hommage A Jacques Perrin is a blockbuster that’s certainly the wine of the vintage. Possessing an inky purple color to go with an incredible bouquet of blueberries, garrigue, olive tapenade, beef blood and pepper, it's rich, full-bodied, powerful and layered, with sweet, ripe tannin. It's a more approachable example of this cuvée that past vintages, yet will keep for 3 decades or more.

As this was bottled only a week before I tasted it, I suspect this rating will prove to be conservative once a few months have passed. The 2015 Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage a Jacques Perrin is another prodigious version of this wine. How many wines in this world can be so huge yet so lacking the feeling of weight? There's plenty of layered spice but also a core of raspberries; rich tannins, yet no real astringency; and a long finish without any apparent heat. Wow!

Bottled only six months ago and soon to be released. Very primary fruit with an abundance of blackberry and blueberry aromas, with peppery and garrigue notes too. The palate is concentrated but pure, with layers of fruit and spice and a firm, rich tannic structure. There's grip and depth of flavour supported by a backbone of acidity. Cellar for two decades ideally.

Inky ruby. Potent blackberry, cassis, potpourri and garrigue aromas expand with air, picking up Indian spice and mineral nuances and a hint of smokiness. Sweet and seamless in texture, offering wonderfully concentrated yet lively dark fruit liqueur, spicecake and floral pastille flavors and a touch of candied licorice. Deftly blends richness and vivacity and finishes spicy, focused and extremely long; pliant tannins add shape and closing grip.