Don’t just take my word for it: Any top critic of Rhône Valley wines will tell you that Domaine Charvin is a “reference point” producer. I would say it is the best Châteauneuf money can buy under $100, end of story.
You want to understand what classic, impeccably balanced, age-worthy Châteauneuf-du-Pape is supposed to taste like? Taste Laurent Charvin’s, which, as a brief spin around the internet will confirm, is one of the most consistent, year-in-year-out performers in the appellation. Charvin makes a single Châteauneuf-du-Pape from his 10 hectares of vines—no single-vineyard bottlings, no special cuvées—and it is always a wine defined by a deep, intense perfume combined with elegance and restraint. It’s a full-bodied red in comparison to many other wines of the world, but on the Châteauneuf scale it falls more in the precision-balanced middle, which is just where we like it. Driven by 85% Grenache from organically farmed, 60-year-old vines—and aged only in concrete—this is a study in transparency and purity from a producer known as one of the region’s ultimate “traditionalists.” To top it off, Charvin has held the line on pricing—this is without a doubt one of the best pound-for-pound Châteauneuf values you’ll ever see, not to mention a ‘collectible’ that is as hotly sought-after as big names like Rayas or Beaucastel. Take up to six bottles today and be assured you’ve got a good 20+ years to work through them!
That aging in concrete lasts a good 21 months, allowing for the seamless integration of tannins and an absolute explosion of aromatic complexity. As noted above, Charvin’s vines exceed 60 years of age in some cases, with the final blend of the wine typically shaking out at 85% Grenache, 5% Mourvèdre, 5% Vaccarèse, and 5% Syrah. The wines are bottled unfiltered, and when it comes to evoking the arid, scrubby landscape of this classic terroir, you couldn’t ask for a better wine. In the glass, it’s a deep, nearly opaque dark ruby moving to magenta and pink at the rim, with aromas that make you feel like you’re eating a basket of ripe raspberries in the middle of a cold, damp forest. This is one of those instances when Grenache shows of its Pinot Noir-y side, suggesting a riper, richer version of Chambolle-Musigny—scents of cherry kirsch, wild strawberries, lavender, and violets, along with some darker (Syrah-derived?) notes of black pepper, roasted meat, and olive carry over to the full-bodied palate, which is silky and remarkably fresh. The balance is impeccable, which is what has traditionally given the Charvin wines their legendary longevity: Although it is a luscious, perfumed beauty now after 45 minutes in a decanter, try to lose at least a few bottles somewhere cool and dark for 10+ years and prepare to have your mind blown. I can’t resist suggesting lamb as a pairing for such a classic, garrigue-scented Rhône red, so check out the attached recipe and enjoy!