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Spotlight on… Beaucastel, Hommage à Jacques Perrin

By July 19, 2018Rhone, Spotlight on

Owner: Family Perrin

Area planted: 100 hectares

Appellations: AOC Chateauneuf-du-Pape (3/4 of plantings), AOC Cotes-du-Rhone (1/4 of plantings)

Wines: Chateau de Beaucastel, Coudoulet de Beaucastel, Roussanne Vieilles Vignes and Hommage à Jacques Perrin.  

Grapes: Mourvedre, Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, Vaccarese, Counoise, Terret Noir, Muscardin, Clairette, Picpoul, Picardan, Bourboulenc and Roussanne.

History

Records date the origins of Chateau Beaucastel back to 1549, when Pierre de Beaucastel bought the original plot of land. The Beaucastel coat of arms, found on bottles today, was first sculpted into the walls of the property he built there.

Beaucastel changed hands several times in the following years up until the 19th Century. When the Phylloxera epidemic struck Europe, the owner at the time decided not to replant but instead chose to sell the property. By 1909, Beaucastel was acquired by Pierre Tramier. Tramier was then succeeded by his son-in-law, Pierre Perrin.

Today, Beaucastel is still owned by the Perrin family. Jean-Pierre Perrin and Francois Perrin are the current owners and the fourth generation to run Beaucastel. Many of the 5th generation also work on the estate too.

Beginning with the 2009 vintage, Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin became one of the first wines outside of Bordeaux to be sold via La Place. The estate has also practiced organic farming since 1950 and has been biodynamically farmed since 1974.

Two wines from the estate – Beaucastel and Hommage à Jacques Perrin – feature in Liv-ex’s Rhone 100 index.

Market performance

The Rhone 100 index tracks the price movement of the last ten physical vintages of five Southern and five Northern Rhone wines. Ten vintages of Beaucastel and ten vintages of Hommage à Jacques Perrin are included in this index.

As the chart above shows, the Rhone 100 has lagged behind the other sub-indices of the Liv-ex 1000. Over the past two years the index is up 17.9%. By comparison, the Burgundy 150 is up 52.9% over the same period.

For a full list of the wines that make up the component indices of the Liv-ex 1000, click here.

Market Prices

The chart above compares Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin Market Prices to their Wine Advocate scores. As the chart shows, the 2007 vintage (RP 100) commands the highest price of £4,200 per 12×75. Followers of Jeb Dunnuck, however, might be tempted by the slightly lower scored 2012 (JD 99) which is available at a 43% discount. Back in 2014, when writing for The Wine Advocate, Dunnuck hinted that the wine “will most likely merit a perfect rating in another couple of years”.

Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin 2016

The 2016 vintage of Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin is yet to be released. Some critics, however, have already praised the wine. The Wine Advocate’s Joe Czerwinski recently awarded it a barrel range of 98-100 points. In his tasting note he commented that “expectations were high, and they were fully met by this wine which packs in incredible intensity, rich tannins and a finish that doesn’t quit”. It will be released through La Place this September.

Vintage Performance

Of the recent Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin vintages, the 2003 has been the top performer over the past year. However, the wine is up just 3.7%. The 2007 followed close behind with a 3.1% increase.

Six vintages have depreciated in value over the past year. The 2004 has fallen the most, down 12.6%.

 


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