Après la pluie, le beau Chiroubles.

DOMAINE S. CHARVET, viticulteur à Chiroubles

Steeve Charvet is doing exceptional work on this steepest Cru of Beaujolais, the sixth generation of his family to work his 8.5 hectares in Chiroubles. Spread across 35 tiny parcels on a terroir of pink granite, sand, and porphyry (with rare feldspar and quartz crystals), his vines have an average of 70-75 years of age, making for complex flavors despite their easy drinkability.

2021 CHIROUBLES  

The harvest date is more critical in Chiroubles than in the other nine Crus -- a blessing in disguise during more “grower vintages” like 2021, where Steeve picked early for freshness but still delivered an abundantly scented, juicy, lip-smacking gutsy-ness. From Charvet's 2021 harvest, you are in for a rare treat — I've never tasted a Chiroubles this exciting. 

2022 MOULIN-À-VENT

Steeve’s half-hectare of old vines in Moulin-à-Vent might be the cru’s best-kept secret. Where most wines from this appellation are known for their density and long slumber in the cellar, Steeve vinifies only in tanks, with minimal extraction — a completely contrarian approach. The result is a Moulin-à-Vent that feels like the opposite of the stereotype: lifted, floral, and gorgeously drinkable from the first pour. Lithe on its feet yet still anchored by the pedigree of its terroir, this is Beaujolais joy in its purest form.

2023 MOULIN-À-VENT (available in fifths and magnums)

The newest release continues this same playful spirit. With the freshness and charm of the vintage, it is even more vin de soif than the Chiroubles — a wine that makes you rethink Moulin-à-Vent entirely. Light in extraction but not in character, it shimmers with red fruit, violets, and mineral tension, begging for another glass (if occasion allows, from magnum).

2023 MORGON “CÔTE DE PY”

Long regarded as the Morgon Cru’s grandest vineyard, the Charvet family owns 1.9 hectares of the famous “Côte de Py,” a south-facing parcel with vines between 60 and 80 years old on friable schist, ancient volcanic rock of pink granite. By vinifying only with native yeasts, allowing a longer maceration in whole bunches, and then aging for 24 months in old barrels, this dark purple Gamay has wild aromas of cassis, mission figs, and wild cherry eau de vie. Don’t miss it.