Yann Chave Crozes Hermitage Le Rouvre 2006
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Winemaker Notes
"Le Rouvre" is selected from a plot within the Chassis terroir, close to Pont de l'Isère, where we have our oldest vines (over 50 years old). The soils are covered with large stone pebbles. Vineyard work is identical to that carried out on our traditional cuvée: foliage trimming, green harvesting and manual picking. Winemaking is also identical, except that vatting lasts around 21 days, and then we select only the free run juice which goes into 600 litre oak barrels, some of which are new, some one and some two years old.
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Wine Spectator
Sweet and ripe, with lots of mocha, dark licorice, plum sauce and fruitcake flavors backed by a fine-grained structure and a long, mineral-tinged finish. Shows nice weight for the appellation.
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2020-
James
Suckling
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Wine &
Spirits
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
Crozes-Hermitage is Northern Rhone’s largest appellation, surrounding the steep granite faces of Hermitage to its north and south. Here the rolling vineyards are less extreme and its soils, rich in clay-limestone and alluvial matter, produce Syrahs that range from fruity and charming to lush and seductive. The Syrahs of Crozes-Hermitage have more mass than those from St. Joseph but are less intense than those from Hermitage. While many are intended for early consumption, some of the best Syrahs from Crozes-Hermitage will age beautifully for 5-10 years.
Up to 15% of white grapes may theoretically be added to red Crozes at the time of fermentation but whether this is done or not depends on the decision of the winemaker. The best Crozes-Hermitage Syrahs will be fleshy with black fruit (currant, blackberry and black cherry) and bay leaf qualities, notes of tar and stone, and a well-concentrated finish of smooth tannins.
About a tenth of the wine produced in Crozes-Hermitage is white, primarily composed of Marsanne supplemented by smaller amounts of Roussanne.