The 2004 Chateauneuf du Pape shows the style of the vintage, yet has plenty of fruit, medium-bodied richness and bright acidity. Possessing a darker slant to its fruit and loads of Christmas spice, pepper, iron and cured meat-like aromas and flavors, it’s at full maturity, yet will continue to hold nicely for 4-5 years, and then have a gradual evolution after that. One of the softest spoken, yet reflective and hardworking people in Chateauneuf du Pape, Laurent Charvin farms his eight hectares in the northern portion of the appellation, in the lieux-dits of Maucoil, Cabrieres, and l’Arnesque, to a “T”. A sixth generation farmer (his family has been at this site since 1851), Laurent was the first to move away from selling all of their grapes to the negociants, and bottled his first release in 1990. As this tasting shows, his wines are consistently outstanding and age gracefully. In addition, Laurent also excels in the difficult vintages, which is common for vignerons who spend the majority of their time in the vineyards. Remaining staunchly in favor of a single cuvee, Laurent’s Chateauneuf du Pape is always a rough blend of 85% Grenache, 5% Syrah, 5% Mourvedre and 5% Vaccarese. He never destems and the wine sees absolutely no oak, aging 21 months in large concrete tanks. In addition to his Chateauneuf, he produces a beautiful Cotes du Rhone (from the vines located around his house, next to the lieu-dit of Maucoil), and, just recently, a rose. We finished the tasting with a trio of Laurent’s Cotes du Rones, which come from vineyards located around his estate, in the northwestern part of the appellation. It’s always a rough blend of 85% Grenache and the balance Syrah and Carignan, that’s aged all in tank. Importer: Peter Weygandt, Weygandt-Metzler, Unionville, PA; tel. (610) 486-0800

Charvin made a fine 2004 Chateauneuf du Pape which is a blend of 82% Grenache, 8% Syrah, and the rest equal parts Mourvedre and Vaccarese. The wine is classic Chateauneuf, a naked expression of its site and varietals with beautifully pure black cherry fruit notes intermixed with licorice, some roasted herbs, and a hint of spice and roasted meats. With its wonderful intensity, beautiful purity, and loads of finesse and flavor, it’s a beauty that is drinking well and should continue to evolve for at least 10-12 years. As I have said so many times, young Laurent Charvin, working from this vineyard in the very northern sector of Chateauneuf du Pape, produces one of the most elegant and sublime Chateauneuf du Papes of the area . In short, the wines most closely resemble the finesse of Chateau Rayas when it was made by the late Jacques Reynaud. A real value from this estate is their Cotes du Rhone, which is a wonderful introduction to the style of the winemaking and is essentially a down-sized version of their Chateauneuf du Pape.Importer: Peter Weygandt, Weygandt-Metzler, Unionville, PA; tel. (610) 486-0800