Tasting Notes
Vinous 94
Ruby-red. Highly perfumed bouquet evokes candied red fruits, potpourri and allspice, with notes of licorice and white pepper adding complexity. Shows excellent clarity and power on the palate, offering juicy raspberry and cherry flavors and a sexy touch of candied flowers. The very pure, incisive finish lingers with impressive tenacity.
Robert Parker 95
The 2009 Chateauneuf du Pape (which tips the scales around 15% natural alcohol) is a great example of traditional Chateauneuf du Pape winemaking. A dense dark ruby color is followed by a sexy nose of raspberries, ground pepper, spice box, damp earth, kirsch and dark currants. Full-bodied, complex, elegant and already irresistible as the tannins have completely melted away, it can be drunk now and over the next 15+ years. Beautifully made, traditional wines emerge from Laurent Charvin’s estate in the northwestern sector of Chateauneuf du Pape, where the family owns 20+ acres of vines. Everything made here is aged in cement tanks. The Chateauneuf du Pape blend tends to be approximately 85% Grenache and the rest equal parts Syrah, Mourvedre and Vaccarese. One of the best buys is Charvin’s delicious Cotes du Rhone called Le Poutet. Last year Laurent Charvin told me he thought that in 2009, the most favored part of Chateauneuf du Pape was the northern sector, and I think there is some truth to that although it was not nearly as evident when I carefully analyzed the tasting notes of the southern parts of the appellation versus the northern parts. Nevertheless, the north was certainly highly successful as was Charvin. Importer: Peter Weygandt, Weygandt-Metzler, Unionville, PA; tel. (610) 486-0800
Anticipated maturity: 2011-2026
Jeb Dunnuck 94
A great vintage for Laurent and showing beautifully from bottle, the 2009 Domaine Charvin Châteauneuf-du-Pape is an energetic, lively red that possesses edgy minerality and rolled stone-like notes to go with licorice, garrigue, flowers, and a core of raspberry and blackberry fruit. Medium to full-bodied and beautifully balanced on the palate, this shows beautiful richness but stays remarkably light and airy without ever being heavy. Loads of fine tannin kicks in on the finish and it should be given 1-3 years of bottle age, and then consumed over the following decade or longer.
