Domaine Charvin Chateauneuf du Pape

Laurent Charvin has only 10 ha of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Until recently, Laurent was almost the only grower to still vinify traditionally, with whole-cluster fermentations. Now others are beginning to copy him. In addition to leaving the stems, Laurent’s élevage is uniquely in concrete tank, no barrel. Laurent is regarded as one of the top wine-makers in the appellation by Guy Julien, famous owner of the restaurant Beaugraviere in Mondragon, as well as other top sommeliers and wine writers in France, with a two-star rating by Revue du Vin de France.

'Beautiful floral aromatics of raspberries, minty herbs, sappy garrigue, and fresh rose petals all emerge from the 2021 Châteauneuf Du Pape, a bright, medium-bodied, incredibly elegant Châteauneuf du Pape from Laurent. It picks up more white pepper with time in the glass (no doubt from the stems) and has a fresh, focused, almost crunchy style that will benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age and will evolve for well over a decade. This is an elegant, fresher Charvin with lots to love. Unfortunately, production is down more than 40%, so there's not much to go around.' - Jeb Dunnuck