The Clarity of Châteauneuf
2009 Domaine Charvin Châteauneuf-du-Pape
The Lowest (Only) Price in the Nation
This might be our favorite Châteauneuf, for two reasons: clarity and structure.
Charvin's Châteauneufs are almost startling; in a region that can produce gloppy, gooey wines that are unctuous but droop over the palate like a wet rag, Charvin's wines are incredibly buoyant, clear and cut.
These are serious Châteauneufs for the Burgundy lover, with a soil and stone complexity surrounded by the soaring garrigue and perfumes of the Southern Rhône, of Châteauneuf. Rayas is also commonly used as the closest Châteauneuf comparison.
Today we present a small parcel of the 2009 Charvin Châteauneuf, a wine that Laurent Charvin believes is even better than his 2007, which is saying something as his is one of the traditional masterpieces of the awesome '07 vintage. If your game plan is to skip the 2009s after binging on 2007, that'll prove to be a mistake - for this wine especially.
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I'll be honest - we tried to get much more of this wine... and we failed. So we only have a few cases, and this offer goes out only to those of you who have supported Charvin or our Châteauneuf program.
Laurent Charvin began estate-bottling his wine only in 1990; as short a career as this might be (going on only 20 years at this point), he has quickly created a small estate that everyone watches.
The vineyard work is as rigorous as it gets - he selects the best grapes, using only half of his family’s eight hectares of mostly old-vine Grenache. The vinification is traditional and non-interventionist: The juice is put into a cement vat (no destemming, no chemicals, very little sulfur). After a few punch downs, he lets the wine macerate for a couple weeks; the élevage takes place in cement without the use of wood before bottling without filtering.
If the process sounds simple, the resultant wines are anything but.
Many of you already know the 2009 vintage’s reputation here in the Southern Rhône: another knock-out, capping a veritable decade of greatest hits, yet the wines show a bit more tenderly, with a bit less of that savage tannic bite. Which, again, is good unless you insist on cellaring your reds for 10+ years before opening.
Charvin's 2009 is one of the best, showing off just a killer poise and freshness with a cool, dark mineral bone structure all the while winding smooth, satiny threads of black cherry, wild strawberry and burnt forest floor notes around and around the palate.
If you know Charvin's wines, give us your maximum order, and we'll do our best.If you don't know Charvin's wines, they are well worth trying.
To order, please email us at offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463. Due to the limited availability, all orders are subject to confirmation.
Ian McFadden
Director, Fine & Rare Wine
Crush Wine & Spirits
No compare-at pricing in the U.S.
Parker, Wine Advocate: "Laurent Charvin believes his 2009 is better than his 2007, but I don’t agree. Nevertheless, no one will be disappointed with the 2009 Chateauneuf du Pape. It boasts a deep ruby/plum/purple color in addition to a glorious bouquet of sweet black cherries, licorice and nori seaweed wrapper, a medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, stunning purity, an enticing texture as well as length and light to moderate tannin. The tannic structure suggests 2-3 years of cellaring will be beneficial; it should keep for 15+ years."