Our annual allocation of Bernard Levet’s Les Journaries and La Chavaroche has landed—and while the wines remain as epic as ever, quantities continue to shrink due to their cult-like status among collectors and sommeliers. If you're seeking traditional, terroir-driven Northern Rhône Syrah, this tandem delivers in spades.
Rhône expert Jeb Dunnuck calls the 2022 vintage “Outstanding,” with Côte-Rôtie Syrahs showing tremendous depth and aging potential. Levet’s cuvées consistently earn top marks—Dunnuck awarded Les Journaries 97 points and La Chavaroche a staggering 98. These wines are benchmarks of authenticity, and we strongly recommend securing both to experience their stylistic contrast and shared devotion to tradition.
Les Journaries, sourced from Côte Rozier and the western edge of La Landonne, offers a seamless, polished expression of Syrah—full-bodied and velvety, with notes of cassis, rose, and pepper. La Chavaroche, from the steep, iron-rich slopes above Ampuis, is more primal and ferrous, with a wild, savory edge and lower alcohol that underscores its rustic charm. Together, they paint a vivid portrait of Côte-Rôtie’s dual personality: one refined and racy, the other raw and elemental. Journaries is more approachable in its youth, making it the safer bet for near-term enjoyment.
The Levet family farms 3.5 hectares above Ampuis, with parcels passed down since the 1930s. Their methods remain unchanged: no tractors, no chemicals, no shortcuts—just hand-farming and whole-cluster fermentation in epoxy-lined tanks. Fermentations are slow, often stretching into the new year, yielding wines of remarkable nuance, aromatic depth, and cellar-worthy structure.
Press Accolades:
98 Points, Jeb Dunnuck:
"Released under the Peroline name in Europe, the 2022 Côte Rôtie La Chavaroche comes from the Chavaroche lieu-dit and is not destemmed. It's vinified all in stainless steel and spends a year in foudre, followed by a year in demi-muids. Red plums, blackberries, iron, bloody blue fruits, pepper, and rose petal notes all emerge from this incredibly complex, full-bodied Côte Rôtie. It has beautiful overall balance, tons of tannins, a good sense of freshness, and outstanding length. Hide bottles for a solid decade and enjoy over the following two decades. Drink 2035-2055.
