Domaine Charvin 2022 Chateauneuf-du-Pape

Domaine Charvin is my one true love in the Rhone (South & North). To be honest, I have encountered less-than-perfect wines from them in the past; but I open more of their bottles than almost any other producer and the rate of dim bottles is lower than elsewhere in the region. The quality level across the board when the bottles are pristine is simply spectacular.

A resolutely traditional producer in Chateauneuf, Charvin produces very few wines each year. There is no diluting of the range into mid-level or premium bottlings; Charvin make one of the best Cotes-du-Rhone wines (le Poutet — a baby Chateauneuf in all respects) and a sole cuvee of Chateauneuf-du-Pape rouge. The tradition at this estate is to conduct both fermentation and elevage entirely in concrete tanks. This has been mirrored in a number of other domaines, but for me Charvin remains the yardstick amongst these and indeed that against which all CdP is measured.

Aromatically, Charvin has an edge over the appellation. The wine is hypnotic from first pour; often displaying dried petals, red floral aromas, subtle spice notes, and a freshness and lift akin to cut mint/green herbs. On the palate, the hallmarks in great (warm) vintages such as 2022 include deep black cherry notes, classic garrigue — especially dried sage and thyme - as well as mineral nuances of broken river stone and some iron ore. These should be classic CdP organoleptic qualities, though we unfortunately see them present in too few bottlings. Even in warm vintages, Charvin always remains a veritably Burgundian wine with round, satiny tannins, and in cooler vintages like 2021, Charvin performs and creates lilting, ethereal expressions of its wine. I cannot contain my enthusiasm for these wines.

— David