Charvin Chateauneuf du Pape 2021

The Charvin family has farmed in the Orange and Châteauneuf area for six generations. Laurent Charvin took over the estate from his father Gérard in 1990 and has continued the small-scale, traditional approach — old vines, low yields, big foudres rather than barriques.

The Châteauneuf parcels sit on the sandier soils on the western edge of the appellation toward Orange, producing a softer-tannin, more aromatic style of Châteauneuf-du-Pape than the bigger central-galets sites. The Côtes-du-Rhône comes from parcels just outside the Châteauneuf boundary, vinified to similar standards.

Roast lamb, game birds, venison and slow-braised daube; a cellar-tier Châteauneuf for laying down 6-12 years.