Châteauneuf-du-Pape

This is a blend of 85% Grenache and then 5% each of Syrah, Mourvèdre and Vaccarese.  At age 16 it is just about at peak and drinking beautifully.  Garnet in color, clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, raspberries, licorice, slight roasted herbs and spice.  Medium to full  bodied.  This is the elegant side of Chateauneuf.  On the palate, its about red fruits with some underlying spice, char and herbs.  Complex and layered, it unwinds in the glass.  Lots of energy and precision.  Nice finish.  Drinks great on its own but will work well with food.  It will work well with Chinese or simila

A classically styled CdP, the word "rustic" no doubt comes to mind.  It is a blend of 65% Grenache, 15% Mourvèdre, 15% Syrah, and 5% (Cinsault, Clairette, and others).  Ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, funk and garrigue.  Full bodied.  On the palate slightly silky texture.  Medium tannins.  Cherries and black cherries with some earthiness.  Black licorice on the finish.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  Great on its own, this will work nicely with braised beef.  

This is a blend of 75% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 9% Mourvèdre, and the rest Cinsault, Terret Noir, Muscardin, Picpoul, Vaccarèse, and Counoise.  It was very tight and most likely shut down at this point.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose shows some cherries and black raspberries with dust and slight garrigue.  It does have a wonderful texture which is often an indication in wines that are shut down of future greatness.  On the palate, it comes off a sweet cherry pie filling at the moment.  This should be cellared for another five to seven years and then drink over the next eigh

Nice to revisit this wine at age 18.  2003 was a very hot vintage that was problematic for many winemakers.  This one is holding up just fine.  It is 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah and the rest Cinsault and Mourvedre.  This is fully mature but only showing a bit of age.  Light purple in color but still opaque and mostly bright.  The nose has cherries, black cherries, garrigue and dried tobacco.  Full bodied.  On the palate, nice cherry and black cherry fruit with underlying tobacco and some char.  Good complexity.  Long finish.  This will work better with hearty food; beef stew would work well.  D

This is 100% Grenache from organic grapes grown in Pignan.  Purple in color with ruby swirls, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries and spice/garrigue.  Full bodied.  On the palate, black cherries and some plums with underlying spice and char.  Nice energy and balance.  Long finish.  This needs more time to mature and open and surely will improve with five to seven more years.  It drinks well now though and will continue to do so for another twelve to fifteen years.  It will work well with lamb stew and other slow cooked, savory dishes.  

This is an excellent producer, but this was a real treat.  Besides their regular bottlings, they make 5 prestige cuvees and this is the top one.

This is a luxury cuvee for this wine who make a few different CdP's.  It is a blend of 40% Grenache, 40% Syrah, and 20% Mourvedre.  Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has raspberries, black cherries, garrigue, pepper and black olives.  Full Bodied.  On the palate, this is drinking well now.  Very concentrated notes of black cherries and black raspberries with underlying pepper and smoke.  This has a long finish.  It will improve over the next five to seven years but either way will drink well for the next twelve to fifteen years.  Great on its own, but better with grilled

This is a blend of 90% Grenache and 10% a field blend.  It is quite tight and shut down at the moment so if drinking soon, give it about six hours of air or more.  Deep ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has cherries and garrigue.  With air a bit of lavender comes out.  On the palate, this has a lovely silky texture.  The fruit is quite tight but there are black cherries and black raspberries with a bit of black licorice and anise.  Everything feels right about this wine but it just isn't showing much at the moment.  Give it another five to seven years and then it should be o

I don't recall ever tasting a wine from this producer before.  This is a blend of 80% Grenache noir 20% Syrah.  Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose seems older with dust, dried cherries but also some black raspberries and garrigue.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, black cherries and dried fruits.  Moderate finish.  This seems like a wine to drink in the near term, maybe over the next three to five years.  It will work well with pasta or stews.  

Charvin is a unique Chateauneuf and not to everyone's preferences.  Its a bit lighter, more red fruits and on the more elegant side of a wine not typically known for its elegance. Utilizing a high percentage of Grenache, this one is 85% Grenache, 5% Mourvèdre, 5% Vaccarèse, and 5% Syrah.