“Lurid ruby-red. Sexy, highly perfumed raspberry, boysenberry and floral pastille scents are complemented by hints of musky rhubarb and Asian spices. Palate-staining sweet red and blue fruit and spicecake flavors show power as well as superb vivacity thanks to a spine of juicy acidity. The floral quality comes back emphatically on a strikingly long, sappy finish shaped by smooth, slow-mounting tannins. This might be the finest wine to emerge from this estate that l have ever tasted, and I’ve had some pretty amazing ones over the years. 94-96 points
Made with whole clusters, fermented and raised entirely in large concrete tanks, the ebullient and ever-curious Laurent Charvin’s wines are always some of the most elegant, highly perfumed and pure wines of the appellation. At the same time they are reliably deep in flavor and balanced to age, despite their suave, upfront appeal. In 2015 Charvin made what might be, for me, perhaps the best wine ever from his family’s nine hectares of vines in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, which he took over in 1990. As an example of his wines’ ageworthiness, the 1998 rendition of Charvin’s Châteauneuf, from a highly-regarded vintage whose wines are often and unfortunately over the hill and drying out now, is absolutely lovely today, with deep color and intense, still-fresh red fruit and floral character. Well-stored bottles should have no trouble hitting their 25th birthday in fine form, which I don’t expect to be the case with most wines from this hot vintage.”
“Brilliant magenta. An assertively perfumed bouquet of ripe red and blue fruits, Moroccan spices and incense carries a smoky overtone. Sweet, penetrating raspberry preserve, cherry, lavender pastille and spicecake flavors show impressive depth as well as vivacity. Displays superb clarity and floral thrust on the finish, which features smoothly interwoven tannins and lingering spiciness. This wine shows just how much complexity can be achieved, even in a hot vintage, in the absence of any oak, old or new. 94-95 points
Laurent Charvin has always kept things simple by working with mostly one variety, Grenache (usually around 85% of the final blend), and using only concrete tanks to raise his single bottling of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Longtime fans of this domaine, which owns just 10 hectares of Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the northern sector at the border with Orange, should be more than happy with the superb 2017 and 2016s here. But it should be noted that, due to the vintages’ weather no doubt, the fruit profiles in both years leans slightly darker and deeper than usual. That means more cherry than raspberry, but there’s still plenty of the Charvin floral and spice character that has won Laurent a host of fans around the world.”
“Brilliant ruby. Ripe red and blue fruits, candied flowers and garrigue on the highly expressive, spice-accented nose. Appealingly sweet and fleshy on the palate, offering juicy Chambord, boysenberry and spicecake flavors that firm up slowly through the back half. Finishes with strong, gently tannic persistence, leaving sappy red fruit and succulent herb notes behind. Drink: 2024-2034. 93 points
This is one of the few domaines in Châteauneuf-du-Pape to produce a single red bottling, although it does make some excellent wines from Côtes-du-Rhône and Côtes-du-Rhône Villages holdings. Of the estate’s 17 hectares of vines, only 7.5 hectares are located in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Quantities are obviously small, and demand is high thanks to its consistently high quality. All of the fruit is de-stemmed and the wine is mostly raised in concrete vats, with some stainless steel tanks coming into play as well. Both the 2018 and 2017 here are outstanding, showing abundant, forward fruit but displaying the requisite balance and structure to reward patience.”
“Glistening violet. Vibrant, spice-tinged cherry, raspberry and candied lavender scents pick up potpourri and mineral qualities with air. Densely packed red fruit liqueur, cherry cola, star anise and floral pastille flavors stain the palate and deepen steadily through the back half. Fine-grained tannins lend shape to an impressively long, focused, floral-dominated finish that echoes the red fruit note and betrays no rough edges. 97% Grenache, 3% Other Varieties. Drinking window: 2025-2035. 95 points
Julien and his sister Laetitia are the latest generation of Barrots who have been in the region since the 1400s, to oversee their family’s vineyard holdings, established in 1703. In just over 15 years they have earned their spot among Châteauneuf-du-Pape’s elite producers. Julien Barrot’s first winemaking efforts, in the early 2000s, showcased richness and often flamboyant fruit-driven character. Still, I have never found them overdone in the extreme school fairly common back then. Over the years, Barrot has been steadily moving toward a more elegant, expressive style, even more since they transferred from their old winery. The new facility is a far more spacious, modern (but not too modern), gravity-fed operation on the south side of town, which is tricked out with the same tall, tulip-shaped concrete fermenters made famous by Château Cheval-Blanc in Saint-Émilion. Barrot’s 2018s are excellent renditions of the vintage, if slightly more forward in character than usual.”
