Roger Perrin 40 Items

Vineyards have existed on the Roger Perrin property between Orange and Châteauneuf since the beginning of the 1900’s. However, the Domaine Roger Perrin was founded in 1969 when Roger Perrin took it over after his father-in-law's retirement. Roger died unexpectedly during the harvest in 1986, and his son Luc took over the Domaine. Luc had studied enology and done an apprenticeship at Château de Beaucastel, which is managed by another family named Perrin. Slowly Luc Perrin increased the quality at his Domaine so that people began to recognize his name as a producer rather than mistakenly as one of the "Beaucastel Perrins." The two families, although neighbors and friends, actually have no genetic ties.

Sadly, Luc also died young in 2010, and his oldest sister Veronique took over for a time. She subsequently passed control of the Domaine to her son Xavier, who today, as the 5th generation working the land here, is proudly continuing Luc’s viticultural and vinification practices.

Perrin's holdings include 40 hectares of vineyards, spread out over 70 different plots. While some of the vines are more than 100 years old, the average age of the vines is 60 years old and 85% of the vines are over 20 years of age. The Châteauneuf vines are planted on two types of soil: clay and limestone subsoil covered by the galets roulés (so familiar to anyone who has seen Châteauneuf vineyards), and a sandier soil which gives wines that show a little more aromatic and tannic finesse.?

Perrin also makes a few excellent Côtes du Rhônes coming from two different soil types: sand with some large stones (somewhat like the second type of Châteauneuf soil) and red limestone sitting upon a bed of gravel (giving fruity and round results).

All of the wines are made by Xavier in the highly traditional manner of his forebears: harvests are done by hand and most of the wines, whether co-fermented or vinified separately, are aged only in stainless steel vats. Whites undergo some stirring of the lees. Destemming is done in varying percentages but in some cases is 100%. The Châteauneuf-level wines are raised in a combination of foudre, enamel-lined tanks and barrique.

The level of quality of the Domaine is evident, as is their dedication to preserving tradition and regional character. Recognition was hard-won but is now theirs to enjoy, and the Domaine has been called a new star in Châteauneuf-du-Pape in Robert Parker's Wine Advocate.