Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
A dark and strangely opulent nose of mocha, cassis and ecclesiastic spice, the palate holds a handsome savory content with licorice and blackberry skins. The tannins are firm and assertive on the mid palate and continue to a long and solid finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Already gorgeous, the 2013 Crozes Hermitage Domaine des Grands Chemins comes all from the Les Chassis region of Crozes (this is the flatter plain that stretches west from the Rhône river); it was raised in a combination of stainless steel and smaller barrels. It offers classic violet-tinged black and blue fruits, tapenade, bay leaf and peppery notes in a medium to full-bodied, elegant, silky style that just begs to be drunk. While bottles wouldn’t last long at my house, it will cruise for another 10-15 years on its balance.
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.