Winemaker Notes
Syrah, with its deep flavors and firm tannins, is a natural match for grilled or smoked meat and dishes featuring herbs, roasted mushrooms, and onions. Seared venison or beef with black pepper and thyme or a Moroccan tagine of pigeon or chicken are complimented by the spicy characteristic of Syrah.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This has attractive poise and very focused feel. The granite is very important, driving a succulent feel and delivering focus to the fruit and tannin. Dark berries, dark cherries and spiced plums abound and there’s a smooth and fresh feel to the tannins. Very vibrant with plenty of flavor and dark stones, graphite and toasted spices to close.
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Wine & Spirits
Louis Barruol searches Crozes’s granite hills for old plantings of sérine, a fragrant variation of syrah. They give this wine an attractively spicy and floral aspect that seems to reflect the cool hardness of the rock in which its grapes grow. Savory and earthy, its tannins tug with an elastic snap. The wine makes you come to it; if you are looking for something more immediately giving, try the Tiercerolles Crozes from Barruol’s other project, Barruol-Lynch.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Moving to the three Northern Rhônes, the 2017 Crozes Hermitage is outstanding. Loads of red and black fruits, spice, chocolate, and earthy notes flow to a ripe, sexy, medium to full-bodied Crozes that has sweet tannins and loads of upfront charm. Despite its forward style, it has plenty of mid-palate oomph and is going to evolve for over a decade.
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Wine Enthusiast
Produced by Louis Barruol of Gigondas fame, this is a glossy, sumptuously ripe wine made from 100% Sérine, an ancient variation of Syrah. It’s gorgeously fruity yet anchored by bold strikes of salt and granite. Fine, gripping tannins and a peppery edge linger on the finish. It drinks beautifully already but should improve through 2027.
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Wine Spectator
Dark cherry and plum compote notes are furrowed by dark anise and bramble accents, giving this texture and range. Fresh acidity drives this along. Drink now through 2022.
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.