Guigal Crozes Hermitage 2003
Syrah/Shiraz
from Hermitage, Rhone, France
winemaker's notes:
An exceptional 100% Syrah from the Northern Rhone for a great price!
From 35 year old vines. Dark red in color. Full of red fruit, cherry and strawberry with delicate oak aromas. A structured wine bursting with blackcurrant and vanilla. Remarkable freshness with notable and refined tannins to due long oak ageing.
"The dense purple-colored 2003 Crozes-Hermitage possesses sumptuous aromas of tapenade, creme de cassis, cherries, and spice. Beautifully-textured, full, and long, it will offer impressive drinking over the next 10-12 years."
-The Wine Advocate
91-94 Rating
"...This is textbook Northern Rhone syrah, with supple red berry and floral flavors along with a sweet underbrush quality reminiscent of Morey-Saint-Denis... This will be an exceptional value."
-International Wine Cellar
90-92 Rating
user reviews:
The top 3 most liked reviews for this wine.
A Customer - Bakersfield, CA
This is a Great Value wine.
If I were a wine snob, I might say something like this, "An astounding selection. Full of red fruit, cherry and strawberry with delicate oak aromas, blackcurrant and vanilla. Subtle hints of tapenade, spice, and floral flavors along with a sweet underbrush."
Aren't we all glad I'm not a wine snob? And what the hell does "sweet underbrush" taste like, anyway?
A Customer - Dallas
Wow, this was one nice Syrah for just over $20 ! Very "pure" Syrah experience/flavor, wonderful color, and a light touch on the oak essences (which is good thing - subtle and blends with all of the other flavors). It should be interesting to see how this one ages over the "next 10-12 years". My only complaint was the the cork was soaked almost all the up to the top - but apparently the wine survived whatever caused this (I did let it rest/recover in the wine cellar for 3 weeks before trying.)
A Customer - San Diego, CA
What an exceptional bottle of Syrah from the Northern Rhone! Similar in style and flavor to many $100+ bottles of Hermitage I've tried.
