France: Famille Perrin

Famille Perrin—or the Perrin family—has been making wine at Château de Beaucastel in the Rhône Valley of France since 1909. Marc Perrin, currently in charge, is part of the 5th generation of the family.

The Château gets its name from the Beaucastel family, who were prominent residents of the area in the 16th Century. The winery is best known for its Châteauneuf du Pape wines. Famille Perrin grows 13 varieties of grapes on 100 hectares of continuous plots, which is unusual for the region. Three quarters of the vineyards are within the Châteauneuf du Pape appellation.

Jeremy and Michelle at the front door of Château de Beaucastel.

Château de Beaucastel takes its name from the Beaucastel family, which was prominent in the region in the 16th century.

The winery has a warm, rustic beauty that is characteristic of French countryside architecture.

Madame Perrin, grandmother of Marc Perrin, is the owner of everything on paper, and still resides at the winery.

The winery's grounds are peaceful and beautifully landscaped, a tribute to its long history.

The vineyards surround the winery.

The stones in the vineyards are typical of the region. Since it is forbidden to irrigate, the stones slow the evaporation of water.

This truck will return from the vineyards full of freshly harvested grapes.

Our guide, Kirsty, explains the winery's unique flash-heating technique. Prior to fermentation, juice is pumped through metal pipes heated to 70C, which kills the enzyme that causes oxidation, and reduces the need for sulfites to preserve the wine.

In order to keep oak flavouring subtle, 70% of the wine's aging is done in tanks.

The winery uses a combination of traditional approaches and high-tech advancements to produce its world-renowned wines.

The Troncais Forest, the largest and oldest oak forest in France, provides the wood for the barrels.

French oak is slower-growing than American oak. The wood is more dense, so it imparts a more subtle flavour.

The wines are bottle-aged in the cellars for at least 8 months.

Jeremy prepares to take tasting notes.

Famille Perrin uses a high percentage of the Mourvèdre grape, which is unusual.

Jeremy and Kirsty discuss the latest developments at the winery while preparing for the tasting.

The vineyards can be seen through the tasting room window. The stones were deposited by melting glaciers.

Enjoying a visit from Marc Perrin, who stopped by for lunch after the tasting.