Why it matters
The producer
Jean-Louis Chave took control of his family's domaine in 1993 and launched the Jean-Louis Chave Sélections négociant line in 1995. The line was created to source fruit from trusted growers while he reclaimed abandoned hillside vineyards. A négociant line works with fruit from growers, while domaine bottlings come from family owned parcels.
Jean-Louis Chave is the 16th generation of his family's winemaking lineage. He and his wife Erin manage the Sélections project together, keeping it distinct from the Domaine Jean-Louis Chave estate bottlings.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Mauves is the home of JL Chave Sélection. The bottles use two appellation names, Crozes-Hermitage and Hermitage. Crozes-Hermitage Rouge Silène is the Crozes-Hermitage red, Hermitage Rouge Farconnet is the red Hermitage, and Hermitage Blanc Blanche is the white Hermitage.
The appellations sort the range by place and colour, with one Crozes-Hermitage bottle alongside two Hermitage examples.
Wines to know
The range in view
The range contains Crozes-Hermitage Rouge Silène JL Chave Sélection 2024, Hermitage Rouge Farconnet JL Chave Sélection 2022, and Hermitage Blanc Blanche JL Chave Sélection 2022.
Farconnet is fermented in tonneaux and stainless steel, then aged 18 to 24 months in barrel. Tonneaux are oak casks, while stainless steel is a neutral fermentation vessel. Blanche is fermented in barriques, smaller oak barrels, and also aged 18 to 24 months. Silène completes the range as a red Crozes-Hermitage bottle.