Winemaker Notes
Ruby red with purple highlights. Red and black fruit on the nose, with notes of spicy black pepper. Supple and fresh on the palate with firm, elegant tannins and a long, persistent finish.
Delicious with smoked and grilled meats and savory couscous dishes.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A super-fresh Crozes-Hermitage with elderberry, wild-herb and black-pepper aromas. Juicy and elegant with fine tannins underlining the mineral acidity. Iron touch at the long, precisely delineated finish. Excellent aging potential.
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Jeb Dunnuck
All destemmed and brought up in barrels, the 2020 Crozes-Hermitage sports a deep purple hue to go with bright blue fruits, candied violets, and ground pepper-like aromas and flavors. Wonderfully balanced and elegant, with silky tannins, it's a pure, impressive Crozes-Hermitage that should evolve for a solid decade or so.
Barrel Sample: 90-92 -
Wine Spectator
Showcases a generous cascade of blackberry, blueberry and cherry preserves edged in vanilla and violet. Though modern, this has beautiful mineral complexity and fine-grained tannins, which provide a sleek frame. A whiff of mesquite smoke and graphite brings a savory edge, while focused acidity drives the finish. Elegant and well-built.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Subtle garrigue accents weave in and out of mixed berries on the nose of the 2020 Crozes Hermitage. Plump, juicy and supple on the medium to full-bodied palate, this is a very appealing, very drinkable wine, with several years of longevity.
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.