Perrin & Fils Château De Beaucastel Châteauneuf-Du-Pape 2005

Jon Steeves rated this wine as 95/100 with the following review:

Absolutely gorgeous! Tasted the wonderful 2005 vintage in August 2017. Deep and richly concentrated, dusty garnet. Boasting with savoury herb, ripe red and black fruit, old world leather, earthiness, flinty minerality. Well-balanced, integrated, medium-plus acidity, medium tannins. Paired well with herb marinated sous-vide chicken breasts, finished gently on the BBQ. 95 points. BespokeTastings

Mymi Thesingingsommelier rated this wine as 93/100 with the following review:

The Perrin family acquired Château de Beaucastel in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape region in 1909 and has since purchased or leased vineyards within the best terroirs of the Southern Rhône. All the viticultural work is done by the Beaucastel team following these principles…
The vineyard comes first… Neither chemical fertiliser, pesticide nor insecticide has been used since 1964. Bees, ladybirds and worms are plentiful in their vineyards. Production levels are very low, but, through their organic nature, the wines reveal the essence of their terroir.
The magic of blending… All their wines are blends from several grape varieties. All 13 varieties authorised in the Châteauneuf AOC are cultivated. Each February, the Perrins get together 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 product is always better than the individual components.
Maturing the wine… Their Southern Rhône terroirs produce grapes whose excellent maturity ensures that the wines also have a considerable tannic structure that needs to be rounded out during the maturing process.
Château de Beaucastel has long been considered one of the great wines of France.
This 2005 phenomenal blend is made of:
Cinsault: 5%
Grenache: 30%
Mourvèdre: 30%
Vaccarèse, Terret noir, Muscardin,Clairette, Picpoul, Picardan, Bourboulenc, Roussanne: 15%
Counoise: 10%
Syrah: 10%
It is dark ruby red with a deep purple center. Legs are viscous and stain the inside of the glass.
On the nose, it is infinitely complex and spicy! There are aromas of dark ripe raspberries, crushed blackberry, wet earth, cocoa, dates, maybe Garrigue but mostly dried herbs like Herbes de Provence blend.
On the palate, it is rich, generous and layered. With a wonderful, sensual and velvety texture. Full of stewed cherries, raspberries and blackberries in a sticky compote and some black licorice. The tannins are luscious, the acidity vibrant and alive. Long smoky finish with more dark coca…
Did I say this is a sexy wine? Absolutely!
May sound odd but I sipped on it while enjoying a very spicy tomato and herb pasta dish that contained the saltiest black olives and it was incredible!