WTN: Ampuis Afternoon (Chambeyron, Levet)

A few days in Lyon means an outing to Ampuis.

Of course in the warm-up, plenty of great things to drink in Lyon as well. Highlights for me were the 2018 Labet Les Champs Rouges Chardonnay and 2019 L’Anglore Tavel. I rarely drink Jura wine but the Labet gave me reasons to change that. Slight golden nutty elements, but this is ouillé, so it’s still fresh juicy energetic and vibrant. Great fun. Perhaps that heady fun is aided by the 14.5% alcohol, but it doesn’t taste hot. I also rarely drink Southern French wine, but L’Anglore is Southern French wine for me. The dark juiciness is so succulent and drinkable. So much fun. I don’t understand US retail prices for this ‘glou-glou’ wine. But I wasn’t buying at US retail…

Arriving in Ampuis, we started at Domaine Chambeyron, part of the myriad wineries sprouting from the Chambeyron family. High up on the slope, we get our first drink with the 2022 Cotes du Rhone, which is of course 100% syrah and supposedly could have been classified as Cote Rotie but her father wanted to save in taxes, plus, it was planted to gamay at the time. Not sure of all the historical details, but that’s the story we got! Anyway, it is a very firm thick structured ‘serious’ Cotes du Rhone. For lovers of that style, although it is recognizeable as Syrah and not the Southern CdR warmth.

The 3 Cote Roties showed their distinctive characters. The 2021 Chavarine was light, fine, and the expression of 2021 that one might expect. 2021 Angeline was darker fruits (and more stems) but still with 2021 finesse. Drinkable right now if you want. 2021 Chavaroche was more difficult and backwards, although still with some fleshy fruit. Laetitia suggested just a few more years for everything to harmonize, so we’re not talking drinking windows that are too crazy…

We ended with 2022 Condrieu Vernon, which was raised 1/3 in amphora to give it some freshness. Definitely not an unctuous Condrieu, this had more clarity and was something I could drink. But of course given all the other options in the world, probably not first on my list.

Interesting visit, I look forward to following up on the wines I purchased. Some potential here for my tastes, although the wines at our next visit were something special.

We were honored to be received by Agnes Levet in her little tasting room on the main boulevard. I don’t have a long history with her wines, but I have been very impressed thus far, and the 2021s continued that theme.

The 2021 Amethyste (straight Cote Rotie) showed fleshier firmer fruit than the 2021s at Chambeyron. Agnes would explain the ‘success’ of her wines in the ‘difficult’ 2021 vintage as a function of having great terroir that gets ripe and balanced despite the conditions. It did evoke the 2021 vintage and its status relative to the next two wines with more white pepper spice and crisper acid structure. But overall a very nice wine that anyone should be happy to drink!

The 2021 Maestria/Journaries was rounder and fuller but still so focused and an absolute dream to smell and taste. I love the deep purple/black flowers and fruits on these wines. Some tannins emerge at the end. Would love to have lots of this.

The 2021 La Péroline/Chavaroche was another great success for my palate. Again, I love the deep flowers and fruits on these wines, although here the tannins clamp down more harshly on the finish. Such intense flavors and a digestible 12.5%, which Agnes credits to the rocky soil that doesn’t build up too much sugar. But not lacking any flavor or body here, for my tastes. Will wait to drink lots of this.

Great visit and I will keep buying the wines. Although US retail prices make the quantities difficult, at least for my calculations…

[David M. Bueker]

Levet has been excellent for a long time now. If they were somewhere more currently fashionable the prices would be insane.

Levet has been excellent for a long time now. If they were somewhere more currently fashionable the prices would be insane.

I've only recently started drinking Levet so I don't have perspective, but I know some folks complain about recent Levet price increases in the US. They aren't cheap. But you're right. I guess if you compare to the insane cult wines, even in the Northern Rhone, their $100+ price does seem reasonable for the quality.

But if I could have the $50-55 cellar door prices in quantity, I would buy a lot more!

[David M. Bueker]

Alas that we could all buy what we want at cellar door pricing.

Nice! Not actually familiar with Chambeyron, like Levet.

Nice! Not actually familiar with Chambeyron, like Levet.

Maybe you know that Agnes Levet's grandfather was Marius Chambeyron, so her cousins run Domaine Chambeyron and Chambeyron-Manin, as the Marius Chambeyron holdings got divided up among different branches. Levet is the best known and supposedly has the best plots. Perhaps some other advantages as well. Levet wines on the day were certainly a lot more impressive than Domaine Chambeyron, in that back-to-back tasting scenario.

The 2021 Chavarine was light, fine, and the expression of 2021 that one might expect. 2021 Angeline was darker fruits (and more stems) but still with 2021 finesse. Drinkable right now if you want.

Tonight I followed up with bottles of 2021 Chavarine and Angeline at home, in a more relaxed state. They reinforced my impression that these are perfectly nice wines, if you drink them in isolation. The Chavarine (an assemblage of 40 yo vines from Chavaroche) was light elegant and juicy, but nothing too deep or impressive. The Angeline was the nicer wine tonight, with more depth, more substance, more layers, more flavor, more everything. But still, pales in comparison to Levet and I wouldn't chase this down.

It all depends on access and context.

[David M. Bueker]

Context, as always, is key.