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WINEMAKING
 

In our Southern Rhône climate and terroirs, experience has shown us that wines are greater when they involve a blend between various grape varieties, rather than relying on just one. All our wines are thus blended from several grape varieties, and this logic is taken to its ultimate at Beaucastel, where all 13 varieties authorised in the Chateauneuf appellation are cultivated. Jean-Pierre, François, Marc, Pierre et Thomas Perrin get together in February to taste the wines from the various varieties.

The aim is to decide, for each wine, the proportion of each grape that will make up the final blend. The magic of blending is that the finished article is always better than the individual components.

Our Southern Rhône terroirs produce grapes whose excellent maturity ensures that the wines have considerable tannic structure. This needs to be rounded out during the maturing process. We choose to age most of our wines in large casks rather than in small barrels, in order to provide an exchange between air and wine without adding further tannins from the wood.