Levet 2022 Côte-Rotie "Chavaroche"

100% Syrah, 60% from Chavaroche (1940s), 40% from Mollard, Côte Brune, Côte Blonde (1978-80), whole bunch fermentation, 3 week vinification in 50 hl concrete vats, cap is immersed, twice daily pumping overs, held at 29°C , aged in 30% new, 70% used oak casks, barrels for 24 months. "Agnès remarked that 2022 was the most “solar” of the recent string of vintages in Côte-Rôtie, and these richly fruited, hyper-concentrated, somewhat brooding wines certainly constitute a dramatic departure from the comparatively lithe and polite 2021s. Still, despite all their stuffing, the tannins of these 2022s are reasonably buffered, so thickly textured is the black-toned fruit, and the fruit itself remains taut and crunchy, never veering into confiture." Neal Rosenthal