Winemaker Notes
The color is deep, with a garnet hue deepened by purple tinges. To the nose this Crozes-Hermitage "Domaine des Grands Chemins" shows seductive whiffs of crushed black fruit (dark cherries, blackberries and blackcurrants) which evolve in the glass to reveal slightly smoky and licorice notes, all these being quite typical from the "Chassis" area. In retro-olfaction, and on a mineral black-ground, menthol and eucalyptus express their hints. In the mouth, the seriousness of the wine combines with its delicacy: the first impact is fresh and lively. The texture is tannic but intense, pulpy, almost silky. This truly balanced wine expresses a nice complexity generous and true to the genuine "terroir" of the "Domaine des Grands Chemines". This wine's structure, along with its aromatic persistence, gives it a great potential for laying down.
Pairs well with red meat, feathered game and lamb in a pastry.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
This is a very powerful rendition with cola, clove oak and spicy aromas. The palate is imposing, intense, rich but fresh and crammed with blackberry and liquorice characters. A mantle of sweet oak complements. Creamy, layered and very persistent. Ticks in all the key boxes.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Ripe red and black fruits, spice, leather, herbes de Provence, and some meaty nuances all emerge from the 2019 Crozes-Hermitage Domaine Des Grands Chemins, a gorgeous Crozes that shines on all accounts. Medium to full-bodied and balanced, it has fine tannins, a notable sense of purity and freshness, and a great finish. It's the finest vintage for this cuvée I've tasted, and it will evolve for 10-15 years if well stored. While this comes from the Les Chassis region, it almost has a granite-like feel in its tannins and acidity. It's impressive!
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Wine Spectator
Ripe, showing black licorice and dark plum notes wrapped around each other. This stays vivid and racy in feel, with a lively floral note and swath of dark earth as backdrop on the finish. Drink now through 2030.
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James Suckling
At first there is full raw-meat character with hints of graphite and spice, but as it aerates the blackberry fruit slowly expands and deepens. Full, ripe and concentrated with an impressive tannin structure. Long, chocolatey finish that is precisely delineated and has good freshness.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
With yields cut 40% by hail, the 2019 Crozes Hermitage Domaine des Grands Chemins is a concentrated, rich and velvety effort that should prove reasonably long-lived. Purple raspberries, black olives and blackberries mingle easily on the nose, while the palate is full-bodied and finishes with terrific length. Tasted twice (once blind), with consistent notes. Best After 2022. Rating: 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.