2018 Châteauneuf-du-Pape

The Charvins have owned their domaine since 1851. Laurent Charvin represents the sixth generation, but he was the first in the family to estate-bottle the wine, which was previously sold off to négociants. Charvin makes only one red Châteauneuf-du- Pape. Thanks to its fermentation, aging in large concrete vats, and the light-hand in winemaking, this is consistently one of the purest and most perfumed expressions of the appellation. Due to the low-yielding and mostly old vines (50 years of age, on average), the wine never lacks depth. Charvin owns just eight hectares in the northwest sector of the appellation. The 2018 is an outstanding wine, showing the approachable character of the vintage to full effect, with abundant red fruit, floral and spice character and supple texture. As pretty as it is right now, it has many years of upward potential, so aging it for a while is advised.

Laurent Charvin has always kept things simple by working with mostly one variety, Grenache (usually around 85% of the final blend), and using only concrete tanks to raise his single bottling of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Longtime fans of this domaine, which owns just 10 hectares of Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the northern sector at the border with Orange, should be more than happy with the superb 2017 and 2016s here. But it should be noted that, due to the vintages’ weather no doubt, the fruit profiles in both years leans slightly darker and deeper than usual. That means more cherry than raspberry, but there’s still plenty of the Charvin floral and spice character that has won Laurent a host of fans around the world.