Winemaker Notes
Deep garnet red, with an attractive brightness. Subtle and delicate notes of small, tart red berries, mixed with sweet spices on the finish. Harmonious and complex, noble and silky tannins.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is a small two-and-a-half hectare vineyard near Hermitage. Medium to full body, firm and silky tannins and plenty of blackberry and granite character. Long and flavorful.
Rating: 94-95
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Jeb Dunnuck
From granite soils, the 2016 Crozes Hermitage Domaine de Roure offers a searing nose of white pepper, crushed rocks, graphite, and hints of cassis and black cherries. Just screaming granite, it's medium-bodied, silky, and refined on the palate, with integrated acidity, a layered texture, and a great finish. It has the balanced and purity to drink nicely today but will age for 15-20 years.
Rating: 94+
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A mini Hermitage from granite slopes in the commune of Gervans, the 2016 Crozes Hermitage Domaine de Roure is outstanding. Deep plum and black olive notes mark the nose, while the full-bodied palate is supple, velvety and rich. This beauty shows wonderful harmony and savoriness, turning silky on the long finish.
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.