Famille Perrin, Côtes du Rhône (Rhône Valley, France) 2019

The “Nature” line of wines — both white and red, made from organic grapes — from the Perrin family have been remarkably impressive since their debut.  The supply is (or was, anyway) relatively limited, so I haven’t been able to work with them in my restaurant consulting capacity, but they offer phenomenal quality and value for retail buyers.  This 2019 red bears no visual resemblance to a Côtes du Rhône, looking far more like a Gigondas from a top vintage like 2010, and that is high praise indeed.  In terms of sheer density and depth of flavor, appearances do not deceive…this thing packs real punch, though just as impressively, it shows no roughness from overly aggressive maceration, and the grape tannins are very fine with no evident wood tannins at all.  To be sure, this is all about primary fruit that is still undomesticated by time in bottle, but if you want a wine that offers big-time fruit and does so flawlessly, this is the ticket.  It offers the concentration and flavor impact of Zinfandel or Malbec with the textural polish of New World Pinot, which makes me wonder…can I buy stock in this?