“We are a family that has been working our southern rhône terroirs for 6 generations. We are the winemakers, the managers and the shareholders of the company and consequently our only focus is the absolute quality of our wines.” – Jean Pierre Perrin

The Perrin family acquired Château de Beaucastel in 1909 and has since then purchased or leased vineyards within the best terroirs of the Southern Rhône Valley in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas (Domaine des Tourelles was acquired in 2008) Vinsobres, Cairanne, Vacqueyras, Rasteau, Beaumes de Venise… All the viticultural work is being carried out by the Beaucastel team, following a number of principles which yet constantly apply to all their wines:

The vineyard comes first…Perrin Family are convinced that, to produce a great wine, the vine must grow in as natural a way as possible. This will enable it to fully express the natural balance of its surroundings. Thus, at Beaucastel, neither chemical fertiliser, pesticide nor insecticide has been used since 1964. Weeds are destroyed by plough and by hand, and all sprays used on the vines involve only natural products. Over the years, the vine has thus developed its own resistance to agression. Bees, ladybirds and worms are plentiful in our vineyards. Production levels are obviously low, but, through their organic nature, the wines reveal the essence of their terroir.

The magic of blending…In the Southern Rhône climate and terroirs, experience has shown that wines are greater when they involve a blend between various grape varieties, rather than relying on just one. All of Perrin 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 and 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.

Maturing the wine…The 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. Perrin Family choose to age most of their 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.

Perrin & Fils is today managed by 6 members of the Perrin family from the 5th (Jean-Pierre & Francois) and 6th (Marc, Pierre, Thomas & Matthieu) generations.

Perrin&Fils is member of Primum Familiae Vini.

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