Waxy, creamy, chalk, honeycomb, nice acid, peachy, drizzled with lime. A bold, full approach but not overwhelming. I’d like to taste this again in three years or so.

Crisp and clean, tart green apples, apricots, limes, doused with chalk and white tea, hints of almond and nougat. Lovely balance between fruit and non-fruit flavors, richness and acid. Surprising depth, impressive. The only non-Rhone wine in the bunch, but a welcome addition for sure.

Strawberries and tart white cherries on the nose. Bright and full of tangy strawberries and white cherries, clean acid, a salty, herbal kick. Fun, tangy, bright and crisp.

Nose: dusty, earthy, mushrooms, not a ton of fruit. Silky palate, still medium tannins but goes down easy. Raspberry and black cherry, laced with earth, anise, sun-dried tomato, mushroom and earth. Beautiful stuff, still going if stored properly.

What a beautifully intricate wine. The nose is sublime: silky red fruit, beef broth, complex spice, pepper, bacon, roses. So pure on the palate, bold but fresh, elegant, full of tangy life. Red berry fruit, dried roses, rhubarb, charcoal, fire pit, beef broth. Complex, long, clean, pure. A gorgeous treat.

At first this was very brash and hard, but opened up nicely of the course of a few hours. Tart red berries, smoke, charcoal and anise on the nose. Firm, chewy tannins, the palate is full of black cherries and fig paste, matched by complex notes of anise cookie, smoke, charcoal, bacon fat and loamy soil. Firm, full, definitely a lot of time ahead but this has a lot to tell at this point if you give it time.

Steamy, stewy red fruit on the nose. Rhubarb and sun-dried tomato on the palate, suffering from some serious volatile acidity.

A bit primal at first, but even two hours does wonders for this beauty. Nose of raspberry jam, cherries, roses, rhubarb. Pure, juicy and silky despite the power, this is an elegant wine with lots to show: anise, caramel, smoke, earth, roasted herbs. Long and beautiful, a rich approach but oh so pretty. So much life ahead.

Elegant and floral with sweet cherries and roses on the nose. Silky but still firm tannins, lots of plums and red cherries. Smooth but still powerful with notes of herbs, black pepper, red pepper, earth. Tasted blind, I guessed this as an 09, it was that well-structured and seemingly young. Impressive to see how well this is doing (given proper storage, of course). Charvin’s Le Poutets can age!

Corked, damnit! Still too young I’m sure, but the cork taint struck this beauty down. Pour one out for those slain by the cork taint.

Medium ruby. Tart currants, fig paste, rhubarb, tobacco, cowhide aromas. I opened this the night before, showing firm tannins, moderate acid and a course, dusty feel. Smoothed out by day two and got more expressive. The saucy black cherry fruit is laced with roasted herbs, pepper, rich earth, granite, dark chocolate shavings. Notes of anise and sweet roasted figs on the finish. Very good stuff but I’d hold off for another three or four years before trying again.

The nose is surreal: earth, mushroom, smoke, pepper, roses, beef broth, underlying tart red fruit. Fine tannins on the palate, still good structure, the palate is so sexy and refined. Tart red fruit, laced with roses, peppers, mushroom, soy, gorgeous integration all around. Long and clean. Must’ve been stored in impeccable conditions because this is refined, pure and so elegant.

A bit stewy on the nose, but plenty alive with dark berries and earth. Still going strong with medium tannins, medium-low acid, the fig, plum cake, and dried black cherries mix with peppery-spice, loam and dusty soil. A bit hesitant at times but plenty of structure.

Deep and plummy on the nose, smoky, coffee, cedar, black pepper glaze. Full and tannic on the palate, showing quite young and chewy, but opens up with complex notes of smoke, pepper, soy and cedar to accent the blackberry and black currant fruit. Impressed by how young this still seems, but loving the flavor profile.

Smooth and earthy nose, peppery, silky plum fruit. Fleshy and silky palate, pure black cherries and plums, a good dose of peppered jerky, granite, fire pit and violets. Drinking wonderfully now, but could hold.

Nose of black cherries, deep plums, smoke and cracked pepper. Full, firm yet balanced with a juicy appeal. Rich black cherry and plums topped with earth, pepper, smoke, charcoal and cracked rocks. Juicy but still compact and deserving of cellar time.