Winemaker Notes
Granite slopes rather than flatlands give Saint Cosme’s Crozes-Hermitage greater structure and complexity. The wine shows classic aromas and flavors of black fruits, smoked bacon, black peppercorn, and incense.
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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Wine Enthusiast
Rich and plush, aromatic notes of blackberries, pomegranates, crème de menthe, cassis, black olives, wild thyme and granite flood the nose. Incredibly juicy on the palate, with a generous concentration of strawberries and black peppercorn gently framed by youthful tannins. Approachable now with a proper decant.
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Wine Spectator
Offers expressive boysenberry and sweet plum flavors that show beautiful fruit purity, with toasted alder and fruitcake spice highlights. Ripe and concentrated on the palate, with chalky minerals, iron and silky tannins providing a lovely frame on the savory end.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Leading off the red Northern Rhônes from barrel, the 2020 Crozes-Hermitage is medium to full-bodied, textured, and seamless, with classic berry, darker fruits, pepper, and violet aromatics. I love its texture.
Range: 90-92
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.