Domaine Charvin Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2023

Domaine Charvin's Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2023 comes from eight hectares on the cooler, north-facing edge of the appellation, farmed organically by the same family since 1851. Grenache-led, with red fruit, dried flowers and a mineral edge, it carries silky, enveloping tannins built the traditional way: whole clusters, cement vats, nothing else. A serious Châteauneuf from one of the region's more respected names.

Most of Châteauneuf-du-Pape faces south into the sun. Domaine Charvin's vines sit on north-facing sandy slopes at the northern edge of the appellation, a small difference that keeps the fruit a shade fresher than the norm here. The vines are old, averaging over 50 years with some approaching 80 years, and the Domaine keeps yields deliberately low.

This is a wine for someone who wants a genuinely traditional Châteauneuf-du-Pape rather than a modern, oaked interpretation: no barrels touch this wine at any point, and the winemaking hasn't changed much since Laurent Charvin first bottled it himself in 1990. It's a bottle for a proper dinner, or for anyone wanting the appellation's more old-school producers in their cellar.

What it tastes like

Red fruit and dried flowers lead, with a mineral note running underneath that comes through on both the nose and the palate. The tannins are silky and enveloping rather than gripping, and the whole-cluster fermentation gives it a lifted, aromatic quality that some more heavily extracted Châteauneufs lack. Medium to full-bodied, dry, and built to open up with time in the glass or the cellar.

Style at a glance

• Body: Medium to full
• Sweetness: Dry
• Tannin: Silky, enveloping
• Oak: None - aged entirely in cement, so the fruit and site lead
• Style: Grenache-led, organic, traditional Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Food

Herb-crusted rack of lamb, daube provençal, duck breast with roasted figs, a good coq au vin, aged Comté or another firm mountain cheese, or a lentil and mushroom ragout if you want something meat-free with enough weight to match the wine.

Who makes it

Domaine Charvin has farmed in Provence since 1550 and established its current Domaine at Châteauneuf-du-Pape in 1851, with just four hectares to start. For generations the family sold its grapes to négociants rather than bottling under its own name. That changed in 1990, when Laurent Charvin took over, ended the négociant contract and released the Domaine's first wine under the Charvin label.

An early, glowing review from Robert Parker helped the wine find export markets, and the Domaine has since moved to full organic certification. It farms eight hectares today, ferments with 100% whole clusters and ages everything in cement vats without fining or filtration - the same traditional approach the family uses across its range, including the more everyday Côtes du Rhône grown on the same style of ground just outside the appellation.

About the vintage

Châteauneuf-du-Pape's 2023 season started with a dry winter, followed by 195 to 250mm of rain by mid-August depending on the vineyard, with useful showers through May and June that kept the vines in good shape through a dry, hot summer. The Mistral wind did its usual job of keeping the vineyards dry enough that, unusually, no disease pressure affected the appellation at all that year, in contrast with the mildew troubles some other French regions faced in 2023.

Harvest ran an exceptionally long stretch, from mid-August through to the end of October, as the appellation's different grape varieties ripened at their own pace. Yields came in generous, at 32 to 35 hectolitres per hectare, giving growers plenty of healthy fruit to work with rather than the tight, frost-cut crops some recent vintages have brought.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape's own appellation body is calling 2023 "undoubtedly a great vintage," with reds showing elegant profiles, smooth tannins and ripe fruit across the board. It's a year that rewarded the appellation's full range of terroirs and its thirteen permitted grape varieties, producing wines that read as properly typical of where they're from rather than a single house style.

When to drink it

This is a Châteauneuf-du-Pape built for the cellar as much as the table now: expect it to reward five to fifteen years of age, in keeping with the style generally, though Domaine Charvin hasn't published a specific window for this release. An hour or two of decanting will open it up nicely if you're drinking it younger.

Technical details

Where to buy

The Domaine Charvin Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2023 is available in store at The Winery's Queenstown and Arrowtown stores, alongside a large range of New Zealand and international wine.

Questions we are often asked

What does Domaine Charvin Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2023 taste like?

It's a medium to full-bodied red with red fruit and dried flowers on the nose, a mineral edge, silky enveloping tannins and a lifted, aromatic quality from its whole-cluster fermentation.

What food goes with Domaine Charvin Châteauneuf-du-Pape?

Herb-crusted rack of lamb, daube provençal, duck breast with roasted figs, coq au vin, aged Comté, or a lentil and mushroom ragout.

Is Domaine Charvin Châteauneuf-du-Pape organic?

Yes, the domaine is certified organic, ferments with 100% whole clusters and ages the wine entirely in cement vats without fining or filtration - no oak is used at any stage.

What makes Domaine Charvin's Châteauneuf-du-Pape different?

Its vines sit on cooler, north-facing sandy slopes at the northern edge of the appellation, a less common orientation here, and average over fifty years old. The wine is made without any oak, aged entirely in cement, which lets the fruit and the site lead.

How long will Domaine Charvin Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2023 keep?

It's built to reward five to fifteen years in the cellar, in keeping with the style generally, though Domaine Charvin hasn't published a specific drinking window for this release.

Where can I buy Domaine Charvin Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2023?

The Winery stocks Domaine Charvin Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2023 in its Queenstown and Arrowtown stores.