Special Offer Price - $55.95 per bottle with code CHARVIN
Laurent Charvin seems to me the most under-the-radar star in the appellation. And particularly so if finessed, lifted, red-fruited Grenache top your CDP priorities. After Rayas (& Pignan), if forced to nominate a single wine to challenge appellation stereotyping, it would be this. Seamless and kirsch-y, Charvin marks an extreme of CDP elegance.
Charvin remains among the few to bottle just a single cuvée. It’s usually 85% or so old-vine Grenache (no destemming) from three lieux-dits in the northwest. Soils are more limestone-rich here and the microclimate cooler, each leaving a freshening effect on the wine.
The nose leads with sweet red berries, licorice, and lavender along with a ripe peach-like note not uncommon in young Charvin. Seamless and exuberant, spherical and beautifully proportioned, the palate carries its weight with poise and polish. Pepper and crushed rock-like details outlast the fruit and acidity rather than alcohol drives the finish.
A word about Charvin at the table as this elevated acidity bridges to dishes outside the ‘sauced meats' CDP reflex. Young, I find the wine works great with tomato-based dishes as well as grilled tuna or salmon. And in its more salumi’d maturity Charvin beautifully foils umami-rich ones, especially those centered on mushrooms.
Cheers,
Jason
