Description
Bernard Levet, Côte-Rôtie, La Chavaroche
The Levet family owns 3.5 hectares of vines above the village of Ampuis. The parcels have been in the family since the 1930’s and today, they are still farmed in exactly the same manner: no tractors, no chemicals, and no tricks – everything is done by hand. Fruit is left in whole clusters before fermentation in epoxy-lined tanks. The process of macerating the grapes than carrying the juice through alcoholic and malolactic fermentation is slow, and often doesn’t complete until the new year. This gradual, delicate approach in the cellar produces wines that are incredibly nuanced, aromatic, and perfect for extended cellaring.
The 2007 Bernard Levet Côte-Rôtie Chavaroche is in wonderful place right now – it is so delicious, so perfectly mature, and represents everything I love about northern Rhone Syrah. The wine has a dark, near-opaque garnet center which is beginning to transition to a brick color on the rim. On the nose, it offers a whirlwind of lavender, roasted meat, black olives, and wild herbs. The palate is medium to full bodied with obvious concentration – but the take home message remains its impossibly perfect balance and a mouthwatering texture. This is a wine for drinking right now. Ideally decant it for 30 minutes before opening and drink at about 60 degrees out of a large bordeaux stem.
