2016 Domaine Chambeyron, Cote-Rotie “La Chavarine” Northern Rhone, France.
The beautifully inky and elegantly textured La Chavarine by Chambeyron is a regal and luxurious Cote-Rotie with stunning Syrah purity, this is an outstanding wine that drinks amazing for being so youthful with supple tannins and remarkable depth of flavor. The Ampuis based Domaine Chambeyron, a solid performer in the appellation, really put everything together in their 2016s and this one really stands out with exceptional fruit density, mouth feel and a super long aftertaste with layers of blackberry, blueberry compote, damson plum, kirsch and creme de cassis which is nicely supported by subtle floral dimension, light peppercorn, fig paste and anise along with a touch of tapenade, cedar and a mineral/graphite note.

Offering some great value this Domaine does a tight collection of small production wines from Cote-Rotie as well as a Condrieu, plus a couple of entry level Cotes du Rhone bottlings, which I’m excited to try in the future, especially after tasting this gorgeous La Chavarine. The Domaine Chambeyron La Chavarine is a special cuvee coming off estate parcels in two of the best sites, it is sourced from the decomposed granite soils of the two famous vineyards of La Chavaroche in the Côte Brune and Lancement in the Côte Blonde, both with a combined average age of 50 years. The La Chavarine is whole cluster pressed and fermented in cement vats with indigenous yeasts in Chambeyron’s gravity fed cellars where it was handled with extreme care, with a small basket press and was then raised in large 400L casks. This is deep purple/black, heady and lush Cote-Rotie that is a stunning value too, drink this gem over the next decade!
($55 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive

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