Charvin Chateuneuf-du-Pape 2023

The Châteauneuf that critics quietly compare to Rayas — from a family that has farmed this ground since 1550.

The Charvin family has been in Châteauneuf-du-Pape since the sixteenth century, bottling their own wine since 1851. Today Laurent Charvin — the sixth generation — farms organically in one of the appellation's coolest corners, ferments with whole clusters, and raises everything in concrete, never oak. The result is a wine of finesse and "salinity" that has earned Charvin a spot among the tiny handful of estates the RVF Green Guide rates three stars, alongside Clos des Papes and Rayas itself.

A grower-scale, cult-adjacent Châteauneuf that trades at a fraction of the names it's mentioned beside. Jeb Dunnuck called it a textbook Châteauneuf and scored it 94 points → the estate it's compared to costs many times more → at $84.99 this is the value entry into the appellation's top tier.

• ~82% Grenache with Syrah, Mourvèdre, Counoise and Vaccàrese
• Cool northern sector of Châteauneuf-du-Pape; ~50-year-old vines
• Organic farming, whole-cluster fermentation, aged entirely in concrete
• Laurent Charvin, 6th generation; RVF three-star estate

"Textbook aromatics of ripe red and black fruits, sappy garrigue, leather, and damp flowers." — Jeb Dunnuck. Translation: pure and elegant rather than heavy, with kirsch and strawberry, a whisper of cocoa, and a long, spice-packed finish.

An organic, concrete-raised Châteauneuf from a 470-year family estate the critics keep shelving next to Rayas. Non-optional for anyone building a serious southern Rhône cellar.