Levet

Wines from Domaine Levet: buy at the best price

Domaine Levet is located in Ampuis, in Côte-Rôtie. In 2004, Agnès Levet succeeded her father Bernard, becoming the fourth generation to lead this family estate, founded in 1929. In the early 1950s, when many Rhône estates were out of fashion, Marius Chambeyron had the foresight to plant Petite Serine, an old form of Syrah that yields less because it produces smaller bunches. These vines were planted on the steep slopes of Côte-Rôtie, including the famous Landonne, and have become part of Domaine Levet’s magnificent 4.3-hectare vineyard holding.

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Levet Côte Rôtie La Péroline 2018
4 in stock
91699
Red
75cl
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Rhône | Côte Rôtie

Levet Côte Rôtie La Péroline 2018

€96.00 inc-VAT per bottle
€80.00 ex-VAT
The TOP winemakers of Rhône

History of Domaine Levet

It all began in 1929, when Christophe Chambeyron planted his first plot on the slopes of the Côte Blonde, in Ampuis. His son Marius continued his father's work alongside his market gardening activity, planting further vines on steep hillsides at La Landonne, Chavaroche, Le Mollard and Baleyat. At that time, the wine left in barrels for Saint-Étienne, where it was sold to the bistros and cafés frequented by the city's miners. It was in 1966 that Marius Chambeyron bottled a small part of his production for the first time, opening up the commercial sale of the domaine's wines under the Côte-Rôtie appellation.

The decisive turning point came with the remarkable 1983 vintage: Nicole Chambeyron and her husband Bernard Levet took charge of both vineyard management and winemaking. The couple made their mark on the family estate by acquiring new plots, which progressively doubled the cultivated area, by fitting out a new chai and a new cellar, and by opening a tasting room in the centre of Ampuis. The domaine was now able to bottle its entire production. Since 2004, the next generation has been represented by their daughter Agnès Levet, the fourth generation of this line of wine growers, who oversees both vineyard and cellar work and also designs the bottle labels herself.

Terroirs and Vines of Domaine Levet

The vineyard covers approximately four hectares, located entirely within the commune of Ampuis and spread across nine different lieux-dits. Chavaroche forms the heart of the domaine with 1.2 hectares, complemented by Les Craies (0.50 hectares), Le Moulin (0.40 hectares, just below the source of La Turque), La Landonne (0.33 hectares), Le Mollard (0.33 hectares), Font Jean (0.15 hectares), to which are added Baleyat as well as plots on the Côte Blonde and the Côte Brune. This extreme fragmentation is typical of the appellation and allows for very different expressions of the same variety.

The soils present two contrasting worlds. The Côte Brune rests on ferruginous schists mixed with clay, which yield powerful, structured wines built for ageing. The Côte Blonde, more granitic and sandy, brings finesse, perfume and elegance. The vines are planted on very steep terraces supported by dry-stone walls, where all the work is done by hand. The old-vine plots are Agnès Levet's pride: they range from thirty to sixty years of age and a large part of the vineyard is even over seventy years old, which guarantees a remarkable intensity of fruit. The variety is Sérine, this old local selection of Syrah with small berries and naturally low yields. The domaine is certified Haute Valeur Environnementale, with cultivation methods close to organic farming.

Winemaking at Domaine Levet

The house's method has remained deliberately traditional. Destemming never exceeds 50% of the harvest, and is often considerably less: fermentation therefore largely takes place on whole bunches, which brings that whole-cluster aromatic character, that freshness and that tannic backbone that are the hallmarks of the domaine's wines. The vats are epoxy-lined concrete, and extractions are kept to the strict minimum.

Ageing is long and progressive, over approximately twenty-four months and sometimes up to three years, with the wines passing successively through large oak barrels, demi-muids and then barriques. Only 10 to 15% of the demi-muids are new, a proportion of new wood lower than that of many renowned neighbours. This approach yields, in Agnès Levet's own words, powerful, tannic wines built for ageing. In their youth, they can appear austere and reductive, with a medicinal and herbaceous character that unsettles palates accustomed to more sun-drenched Syrahs. With time, generally from ten or fifteen years onwards, they blossom into a kaleidoscopic complexity of black fruits, olive, leather, smoke and spice, with that refined rusticity characteristic of the great classic Côte-Rôtie.

The cuvées of Domaine Levet

Côte-Rôtie La Chavaroche (La Péroline): the domaine's most sought-after cuvée, made from 100% Syrah planted on the lieu-dit Chavaroche, in the Côte Brune, on granite and schist soils. It is sold under the name La Péroline in France and on the European market, in homage to Agnès Levet's grandmother, and under the name La Chavaroche for export. A fine wine for ageing, thoroughbred and very rich in tannins, with strongly marked mineral notes, it can appear wild in its early youth before opening up magnificently after a long wait in the cellar. A perfectly faithful expression of the Côte-Rôtie appellation.

Côte-Rôtie Les Journaries (Maestria): born from the 2004 vintage, this cuvée takes its name from the vineyard plot located in the lieu-dit La Landonne, which provides the bulk of the blend. Sold under the appellation Les Journaries on the American market and under the name Maestria in the United Kingdom and on several European markets, it is distinguished by its delicacy and elegance, with pronounced floral aromas and tannins of great finesse. Some enthusiasts consider it the domaine's finest achievement.

Côte-Rôtie Améthyste: the domaine's entry-level cuvée, made from 100% Syrah sourced from both the Côte Blonde and the Côte Brune, with grapes from the lieux-dits Baleyat, Chavaroche and Mollard. More approachable and more immediate than its older siblings, it nonetheless offers the same dense tannic framework and the same aromatic depth. The ideal gateway into the world of Levet.

Côte-Rôtie: the house cuvée, a selected blend from all the plots owned by the Levet family in Ampuis. It encapsulates in itself the mosaic of the domaine, marrying the schist-driven power of the Côte Brune with the granitic finesse of the Côte Blonde. A classic and sincere wine, to be waited several years.

Côte-Rôtie Les Trois P: a confidential cuvée from the domaine, produced in very small volumes and rarely seen outside the cellar door in Ampuis. A bottle sought after by collectors and loyal followers of the house.

Côte-Rôtie Amphoralis: Agnès Levet's experimental cuvée, aged in amphora rather than wood. It offers a purer and more vibrant interpretation of Sérine, focused on fruit and minerality, with no trace of oak influence. A rare and illuminating curiosity about the potential of the domaine's terroirs.

Condrieu: the house's only white wine, a single-plot Viognier from a terroir situated at the top of the slope, overlooking the Rhône. Lively and elegant, it favours tension and precision over opulence, with delicate aromas of apricot, white flowers and a lovely salty finish. Produced in very small quantities, it ideally completes the domaine's red wine range.

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