Imagine: it's 1309. You are Pope Clement V. You arrive at the outskirts of Avignon near the banks of the Rh�ne River to relocate the Holy See from Rome. You need some wine for official Church business. You hear about some producers upriver, and order a shipment from Burgundy. You decide that the area around your encampment would be good for growing grapes as well, so you plant some vines nearby.

You die in 1314, probably of lupus. Dante has a special place reserved for you near his favorite Pope, Boniface VIII (see Inferno Canto XIX, lines 82-84). Your successors in the Avignon papacy build a new summer home (Ch�teauneuf-du-Pape, the new ch�teau of the Pope), and plant more vines around it. Sixty years later Pope Gregory XI leads a contingent back to Rome, splitting from a group of priests who decide to remain in Avignon, and causing a schism that lasts until 1417.

Today, the debate still rages over the legitimacy of the later Avignon popes-were they popes or antipopes? After significant research, we are pretty sure they stayed in France because the wine around Avignon was a lot tastier than the wine they were making in Rome.

On a more serious note, these historical events are the key to the viticultural ascendance of Burgundy and Ch�teauneuf-du-Pape. Without the shift in power from Rome to Avignon, the popes may never have become generous patrons of the wines of Burgundy (upriver), spurring the region's development. They were also major promoters of the wine made in the area around their new home in Avignon, which now bears their mark as the Ch�teauneuf-du-Pape AOC.

Peter Weygandt's forays into both Burgundy and the Southern Rh�ne have been some of his most fruitful. We are particularly fortunate for his discovery of Domaine Charvin, one of the top producers in Ch�teauneuf-du-Pape. He met winemaker Laurent Charvin in early 1992 after tasting Laurent's very first bottling, the 1990 Ch�teauneuf. Peter recognized Charvin's potential at first sip, and the two men have maintained a close working relationship ever since.

Laurent Charvin

Domaine Charvin boasts a long legacy. Established in 1851, it has emerged as one of the region's perennial superstars. Laurent is the sixth-generation Charvin to run the Domaine, and the first to commercially market a proprietary bottling.

Laurent produces only one cuv�e of AOC Ch�teauneuf-du-Pape, and it is consistently one of the most highly-rated wines in the region. He also makes a fantastic C�tes du Rh�ne called Le Poutet, culled from his holdings just outside his Ch�teauneuf-du-Pape vineyards. Le Poutet is so good that it often outperforms the top bottlings of lesser Ch�teauneuf producers. A small amount of ros� and an elegant Vin de Pays de la Principaut� d'Orange � C�t�, made from a unique and delicious blend of 50% Merlot and 50% Grenache, round out the portfolio.

All of Laurent Charvin's vines are between 35 and 70 years old, and grapes are picked and sorted entirely by hand. As usual with Peter's imports, these wines are not filtered. The results of Laurent's meticulous cellar work are wines of impeccable balance, fresh fruit, and a deep, coherent complexity.

In a bygone era when scores skewed low, Robert Parker awarded Laurent Charvin's very first Ch�teauneuf 94 points, and the critic's praise for the Domaine has been effusive ever since. This is especially impressive since Charvin's wines are made to his own stylistic standards, using traditional whole-cluster fermentation and no oak. In other words, he does not cater to market trends. These are indeed some of the best examples from the Ch�teauneuf-du-Pape appellation and represent an extraordinary style that is immediately recognizable as a true artistic expression. Like many great wines, they are outstanding in their youth, but otherworldly when properly matured over 5-25 years.

We will be celebrating the release of Domaine Charvin's long-awaited 2010 vintage at Weygandt Wines' third anniversary party this Saturday, October 13. Please join us at the store between noon and 5 to chat with Peter, enjoy a special tasting lineup, and mix and mingle with store staff and regulars. In addition, we are honoring twenty years of partnership between Peter Weygandt and Laurent Charvin with special pricing on the wines of this exceptional Domaine. - Sarah Hexter, Wine Consultant for Weygandt Wines 

We'll be providing more information on our 3rd Anniversary Celebration tasting later this week. Please call (202.362.9463) or email if you would like to place an order or if you have any questions.

Cheers,

Peter Weygandt and Tim O'Rourke

Weygandt Wines