2013 Domaine Bernard Levet, Cote-Rotie “La Chavaroche” Rhone, France.
The gorgeous, spicy and perfumed 2013 La Chavaroche Cote-Rotie is a sexy and seductive Syrah from the granite and schist terroir of the Cote Brune and has to be one of the wines of the vintage from Cote-Rotie with it’s stylish delicacy and amazing length. This brilliant red delivers classic crushed violets, white pepper, creme de cassis and beautiful layers of boysenberry, blueberry compote and distilled plum essence along with light earthy truffle, peppercorn, chalky and flinty stones, lavender, bitter herb/amaro, mineral, cedar and black licorice. Lingering kirsch, dried flowers and baking spices add to the joyous complexity and the textural harmony is stunning in this beauty with an almost dreamy seamless mouth feel in a medium bodied and alive wine of real class and hedonistic elegance with refined tannins and subtle acidity. Lavet uses at least 50% whole cluster and stems, they gently ferment in epoxy lined cement vats without punch downs and the wine is raised in mostly large neutral cask for about a year then transferred to a combination of demi-muids and barrique of which about 15% is new, everything is done to showcase the purity of fruit, sense of place and sex appeal, and this 2013 is a wonderful example and expression in a slightly lighter format. This sublime Cote-Rotie offers a thrill right now, but should go another 6 to 8 years without issue, in fact it should gain a bit, even though I love the lift it shows, so there is a lovely window to drink this Levet Chavaroche, don’t let it pass you by!
($60 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive
