Mentally getting myself ready to do battle against Irma, we are hunkering down. Was in the mood for something feral, wild. Levet fits the bill.
This 2007 is not technically ready but it ain’t far off of being close. And it really is excellent, so good and yet so much more potential.
The nose is a kaleidoscope of aromas from iodine, brine and tar, to a range of wild red and black fruits, to other goodies like dry earth, game and grilled meats. And never ever forget that pungent, smokey Levet perfume of stems. The palate carries on the breadth of the wine, showcasing the same array. Medium weight on the palate but only because of that crisp acid, giving lift to the wine. The wine really is full-bodied, however. Chewy, meaty, chalky, deep. An excellent, distinctive wine. Ideally you give it 5 more years, but no regrets here, showing well on a one-hour decant. I found the 2011 Levet Les Journaries that I popped last week more open and ready, but this 2007 La Chav has 2 extra gears. Glad to have a few more tucked away.
What is it about Levet? Every one I’ve had smelled and tasted like no other wine I’ve had. I can’t decide if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, except that I have decided it’s not for me.
Yea it’s interesting, Alan. I bet if we did a Venn Diagram, we share 85% on wines. But it’s these distinctive wines that really rock my boat. Levet. Sociando. Raffault. Carmes Haut Brion. Juge. Jaugueyron. Geyserville. Etc. I tend to value distinctiveness over all else, assuming a quality wine, of course.
Levet is definitely not a crowd pleaser. I saw a CT note that cracked me up and is so true, saying something like, Levet is a wine that say it is what it is, and if you don’t like it, f*ck off. Lol.
That Venn diagram might have a lot of overlap, and the non-overlap would have “likes Levet”, “likes living in Florida”, and “believes in tooth fairy” (me).
I actually believe the Levet “perfume” is some kind of brett native to their cellar. I can’t place the aromas in any other wines I’ve ever had. There is definitely a wet horse aspect to Levet.
For the experts here, if I’ve bought myself a sampler pack of Levet’s 05-12 (Chavaroche) and 05-06 + 09-10 + 12 Journaries, which ones would be best to sample now to get a feel for his style, and which ones need a lot of age?
For reference, I’ve only had 2 Levets ever: The 05 Chavaroche in 2014 which I loved, and the 08 Chavaroche which I had last year and thought was good but not great.
Well, '05 was fuller with lush fruit and resulted in bigger wines. '08 was a difficult vintage and it comes through, although I was pleased with an '08 Journiares a few months ago. YMMV
I am with Brian as I like the 2008s quite a bit. There is no doubting that the frame is leaner and the wine less concentrated, but that works for me, particularly with a wine like Levet. Ashish, pretty much any bottle of Levet will give you a feel for the style. As Neal Rosenthal says, Chavaroche is a “ferocious” wine young, such that one must be a big, strapping, country lawyer to enjoy it then. I last had the 2005 about a year ago and thought that it was a beast. Rosenthal held back the release of that vintage and I might argue that he should still be holding it. Journaries is an old-vine cuvee from La Landonne and it has a bit more brightness and a finer texture and more delineation. Both cuvees are, however, rich, wild and savory. If I were to recommend something from 2005-2014 to try now, it would be the 2006 or 2007 Journaries. I will see if I can dig up a bottle in my warehouse, and will get it to you. Robert, I hope that you are out of Irma’s direct path and that you somehow dodge its wrath.
We had the 08 Chavaroche last Saturday and it was fantastic. It seemed at a perfect place between secondary and fresh. We also had another one from Robert’s list, an 05 Geyserville from Magnum.
Try the 2006s now if the oldest Levet you’ve got is 2005 and you feel obligated to drink some Levet. They all still need more time but my guess is the 2006s will be most accessible.
Would anyone care to distinguish between Chavaroche and Journaries? Are they alternative cuvees, or is one considered higher on the scale than the other, and if so, do you agree (I often don’t like special cuvees more as they are given special treatment that I don’t always consider special in a good way).
Different vineyards and age differentials. La Chav older and considered a finer vineyard but Les Journaries is very strong in its own right. Les Journaries is generally more approachable a bit earlier. The 2013 vintage of Les J is surprisingly approachable right now.
Jonathan, neither is a “special” cuvee; rather, they are different cuvees produced from different parcels. Chavaroche from a vineyard of the same name, and Journaries from La Landonne. I believe that the Journaries vines are older (although Robert says that those of Chavaroche are) and it may be a tad more civilized, but both are unbridled expressions of northern Rhone Syrah. Here you will find Rosenthal’s description of the two cuvees: Vignobles Levet | Rosenthal Wine Merchant
Well I do declare, it appears that I am dead wrong. While I would defer to Martin as the expert here, especially since he introduced me to Levet, but some googling showed Les Journaries is older vine. Not sure why I thought otherwise.
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