Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Jeb Dunnuck
Readers looking for a great Northern Rhône Syrah to drink over the coming 5-7 years will love the 2022 Crozes-Hermitage. This ruby/purple-hued beauty has lots of purple fruits, some floral, incense, and violet nuances, medium body, a soft, supple mouthfeel, and outstanding length. It's guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
-
James Suckling
Aromas of blackcurrants, dark cherries, roasted meat and baking spices. Medium body with finely grained tannins. Velvety with a pure core of cherries and berries and a peppery feel. Flavorful finish. From organically grown grapes.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2022 Crozes-Hermitage's bouquet wafts from the glass with exuberant aromas of litchi, rose, flowers and dark berries. Medium to full-bodied, juicy and seamless, it's harmonious with a fleshy core of fruit, a delicate texture and a harmonious palate, culminating in a gourmand, fresh and long finish enhanced by a lovely reduction typical of Syrah. Rating:-91+
-
Wine Spectator
A sultry, attractive version, offering a solid core of ripe plum and blackberry wrapped in mesquite smoke and sweet tapenade. Silky and yet edged in iron, with nice brightness and lift to the focused finish. Drink now through 2032.
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.