Tasted in Chiroubles with Steeve Charvet, 05 April 2024.
Domaine Steeve Charvet
2255 Route de Chiroubles
69115 Chiroubles
Tel: +33 6 50 20 71 25
www.charvet-gites-vins.fr
Producer Instagram
Steeve is one of three cousins here in Chiroubles – Ludovic Charvet and Anthony Charvet are the other two.
Steeve’s exploitation covers 9 hectares of vines. For the last 5 years, he’s been working the soils and currently does three-quarters of the domaine like this. His main markets for wine are France and Belgium…
Steeve on 2023:
“23 is very Beaujolais – wines with both fruit and finesse – and we had decent quantity too…”
And on 2022:
“2022 was not bad in terms of volume – a little late rain helped – though you shouldn’t wait too long to harvest here in Chiroubles.”
The wines…
A first visit to this domaine and I loved a few of the wines…
2023(!) Vin Coeur VdF
Vines in Lancié, only 12% alcohol.
There’s depth and freshness here. Hmm, a nice depth of flavour too, with a small generosity – a slight metallic touch here but the flavour is fine – and long too – easy wine but you could wait a year or so to drink, no problem…
2022 Chiroubles
80% whole cluster.
A nose of more depth and of darker fruit. Vibrant, slightly spiced wine – I love the mouth-watering energy of this wine. I’d be waiting a year or more to drink it but the structure is far from excessive. Very tasty finishing wine…
2022 Moulin à Vent
A cuvée here since 2020. ‘Made Beaujolais style with barrel elevage.’
A fine freshness of aroma – darker fruit and of energy. Supple but with a mobile energy, faintly framed with a small tannin – mouth-filling wine of complexity – really a great finish of complex, energetic flavour – I love it!
2022 Morgon
3 different parcels around Morgon. Whole cluster
More floral, higher tones in this wine. Supple, concentrated, faintly grained with tannin – a texture of velour. Mineral, complex, fine – finishing wide and slowly mouth-watering – still with a small accent of tannin – that’s a fine Morgon.
2022 Morgon Côte du Py
2 hectares in 2, 1 ha, plots.
Dark, deep fruit – almost a kirsch style to this dark fruit – good clarity. Much more intensity and concentration – but really well balanced with a juicy finishing flavour. Pure fruit with, today, a modest structure – I could enjoy sipping this wine already today – and I don’t note the 14.6% alcohol! Excellent wine…
2022 Cote du Py l’Intime
From an old vine section with a little extra maceration and some barrel elevage, usually white-wine barrels of 6-7 years old. Haven’t made this every year, the last was in 2019, and this was bottled in January.
A more airy width of aroma – some high tones, although a little diffuse today. Large-scale flavours. Modestly accented by the barrel – actually, a bit more than modestly. Strong finishing and long too – but the barrel speaks more than the wine for me today – I’d wait 5 years and see what we have…
Across from the same name climat in Fleurie
A tighter but serious nose – here is depth of concentration. Large but beautifully textured – more sophistication here for sure – that’s a beautiful wine. The barrel is present but much, much less than the Morgon – I find it a potentially great wine – I’d wait 2-3 years before opening another…
2023(!) Vin Coeur Rosé VdF
For the rosé and the whites, Steeve prefers to use a standardised yeast to avoid the extra red character of the local yeasts. Aiming for 11.5-12°
That’s a nice attack – pretty fruit with a small supporting structure – very inviting. Supple but sweeping shape with freshness of flavour – a small grain of tannin coming through that also gives this a small texture of velour. Generous but delicious wine – really tasty in the finish.
And le white:
2023(!) Beaujolais Blanc
A parcel in Lancié – just the second harvest from these young vines – so a small harvest – already quite golden grapes but not high in alcohol – around 12°
A little golden pineapple style to this fruity nose. Cool, a little attractive minerality – no rigour – and some silk to the texture. That’s a good one!