Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Brooding, concentrated and tannic, the 2015 Crozes Hermitage Domaine de Roure will need some time to come out of its granite shell. Crushed stone and dark cherries and cassis emerge only reticently on the nose. For easier near-term drinking, grab some of the Thalabert; for serious longevity in the cellar, the Domaine de Roure will be hard to beat.
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James Suckling
This is all about the granite slopes of Le Blanc up behind Gervas. It has a wild cherry and raspberry nose with dark plums, too, as well as attractive pepper and exotic spices. The palate has a powerful cage of tannins holding dark plum fruits bright and long. This is great Crozes and needs time. Best from 2020 and for a decade at least.
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Decanter
Showing concentration and power, this is a rich style with notes of black fruit, scented and oaky. Lots of ripe fruit on the palate, but a bit too much wood tannin, and the alcohol is present and powerful.
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.