2017 Vinsobres Les Hauts de Julien Vieilles Vignes
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Tasting notes
Not yet bottled, the 2017 Vinsobres Les Hauts De Julien is stunning stuff that offers a Syrah-driven profile that boasts a saturated purple color, notes of black fruits, liquid violets, ground pepper, and grilled meat, full-bodied richness, a layered texture, and a great finish. Savvy readers will snatch this up and it will keep for at least 10-12 years. In addition to the Château de Beaucastel releases, the Perrin family also releases a bevy of brilliant wines under their Famille Perrin label. Certainly, the Gigondas releases are the standouts, yet readers shouldn’t miss their Vinsobres releases; the flagship Les Hauts De Julien possibly one of the finest Syrahs dominated blend made in the southern Rhône!
Critic scores
Average Score
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Cask sample. Lots of toasted spice and smoke from barrel influence on the nose. The only one of the Perrin wines were oak is overt, in fact. Ample fruit on the palate, long spiced finish and full but balanced structure with digestible tannic fuzz. Possibly too oak-reliant? But this may well right itself once in bottle. (RH)
Like the les Cornuds bottling, the 2017 Vinsobres Les Hauts de Julien is a 50-50 blend of Grenache and Syrah. It's co-fermented, then divided into foudre and barrels for aging (half in each). With its toasted coconut and cocoa aromas, it comes across as a bit exotic, but it adds plenty of mixed berry fruit and hints of dried spices. There are only 5,000 bottles of this full-bodied, richly textured wine for the world, so fans will have to move fast to secure some once it's released.
About the producer
This Châteauneuf-du-Pape estate is one of the Rhône’s most famous addresses. With a history stretching back to the 16th century, Beaucastel remains family owned and run, with the fifth generation of the Perrin family – Marc, Pierre, Thomas, Cécile, Charles, Matthieu and César – at the helm today.