2003 Chateauneuf du Pape

Loaded with fruit and drinking at point, the 2003 Chateauneuf du Pape is about as sexy and up-front as wine gets from this estate. Garrigue, black licorice, ground herbs and loads of sweet red fruits all come soaring from the glass. It has a voluptuous, ripe, full-bodied profile to go with sweet tannin. I’d drink bottles over the coming couple of years, but it too will evolve gracefully, and that’s not something you can say for a lot of 2003s. One of the softest spoken, yet reflective and hardworking people in Chateauneuf du Pape, Laurent Charvin farms his eight hectares in the northern portion of the appellation, in the lieux-dits of Maucoil, Cabrieres, and l’Arnesque, to a “T”. A sixth generation farmer (his family has been at this site since 1851), Laurent was the first to move away from selling all of their grapes to the negociants, and bottled his first release in 1990. As this tasting shows, his wines are consistently outstanding and age gracefully. In addition, Laurent also excels in the difficult vintages, which is common for vignerons who spend the majority of their time in the vineyards. Remaining staunchly in favor of a single cuvee, Laurent’s Chateauneuf du Pape is always a rough blend of 85% Grenache, 5% Syrah, 5% Mourvedre and 5% Vaccarese. He never destems and the wine sees absolutely no oak, aging 21 months in large concrete tanks. In addition to his Chateauneuf, he produces a beautiful Cotes du Rhone (from the vines located around his house, next to the lieu-dit of Maucoil), and, just recently, a rose. We finished the tasting with a trio of Laurent’s Cotes du Rones, which come from vineyards located around his estate, in the northwestern part of the appellation. It’s always a rough blend of 85% Grenache and the balance Syrah and Carignan, that’s aged all in tank. Importer: Peter Weygandt, Weygandt-Metzler, Unionville, PA; tel. (610) 486-0800