100 POINTS
James Suckling
A more savory, moody, strong expression. Deeply rich nose with minerals, flowers, wild herbs, tar, toasted spices and pepper. The dark berries have a smoky edge. Minerally edge, too, thanks to the 60 per cent mourvèdre. The palate has glossy, ripe and super-fine tannins in sheets. Deep-set, dark plums and blueberries in the finish. Noble tannins. Age-worthy.
100 POINTS
Peter Moser - Falstaff
Dark ruby, purple reflections, subtle brightening on the rim. Blackberryish fruit, notes of sour cherries, blackberries, liquorice, tobacco nuances, delicate floral nuances, in the background some fresh orange zest and sea buckthorn. Juicy, elegant, ripe red cherries, peppery touch, integrated tannins, fresh acidity, very salty and carried by a lively acidity, lemony and red berryish, chalky touch in the aftertaste, very good length, full of finesse and long lasting, needs a few more years to mature.
99 POINTS
Matt Walls - Decanter
A tasting of the Courrieux vineyard, a single parcel of Mourvèdre planted in 1909 that always makes up around 70% of the blend. It's a wine that makes you inhale deeply. It has a wonderful, regal, stunning nose of violets, blueberries, and blackcurrant almost. It's seamless on the palate, with some camphor, menthol and rosemary notes to the fruit. There's sublime freshness, and the tannins are full and dense but very ripe. A mouthfilling, mouth coating and very intense wine, with a saline finish. Potentially worthy of a perfect score.
99 POINTS
Matt Walls - Decanter
A tasting of the Courrieux vineyard, a single parcel of Mourvèdre planted in 1909 that always makes up around 70% of the blend. It's a wine that makes you inhale deeply. It has a wonderful, regal, stunning nose of violets, blueberries, and blackcurrant almost. It's seamless on the palate, with some camphor, menthol and rosemary notes to the fruit. There's sublime freshness, and the tannins are full and dense but very ripe. A mouth-filling, mouth coating and very intense wine, with a saline finish. Potentially worthy of a perfect score.
99 POINTS
Joe Czerwinski - Robert Parker Wine Advocate
Tasted three weeks after bottling, I couldn't quite bring myself to give the elusive three-digit score to this admittedly super wine. Perhaps once the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage à Jacques Perrin has been in bottle a bit longer, as Mourvèdre seems to go into a bit of a funk when recently bottled. For now, it's merely profound, packing in savory, mossy nuances, hints of exotic dried spices like star anise and cardamom and layers of rich, plummy fruit that manage to be full-bodied and deliciously intense without being weighty or overwrought. Creamy, lush, intense and long, it's a tdf (tour de force) in CdP.
98 POINTS
Josh Raynolds - Vinous
Deep vivid magenta. A highly complex bouquet displays candied black and blue fruits, incense and musky earth aromas; violet, licorice and Indian spice notes build in the glass. Sweet and expansive on the palate, offering deeply concentrated, mineral-laced blueberry, cherry compote, fruitcake and floral pastille flavors that are given spicy lift and bite by a late peppery flourish. Tightens up slowly on a strikingly long, chewy, floral-driven finish framed by dusty, steadily building tannins.
98 POINTS
Huon Hooke - The Real Review
Dense, concentrated, inky purple/red colour. Amazing concentration and density of bouquet: rich black fruits, spices, licorice and espresso coffee. Lush palate, dense and massive but soft tannins and fleshy, layered and mouth-filling. Sweet plush fruit and great structure to match. The finish is very clean, balanced and long. An astonishing wine with a huge future.
97 POINTS
Josh Raynolds - Vinous
Opaque ruby. Heady aromas of mineral-tinged dark berry preserve, incense and espresso; a sexy floral nuance gains power as the wine opens up. Smoky, appealingly sweet and lively on the palate, offering densely packed black and blue fruit, cola and candied licorice flavors braced by juicy acidity and exotic flourishes of five-spice powder and violet pastille. Finishes with outstanding clarity and dark-fruit-dominated persistence, leaving suave floral and spicecake notes behind.
Points: 96-98