Winemaker Notes
Dark purple color. On the nose, the wine is intense; reminiscent of blackberries and licorice, supported by notes of black pepper. The palate offers a wonderful combination of the New World and Old World styles as this wine has lots of fresh cherry and black plum fruit flavors against an intense, spicy, mineral background.
Pairs well with red meats, hearty pasta dishes with garlic and red sauce, barbecue and aged cheeses.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Blended from 20 or so plots scattered around the appellation, the 2017 Cornas Terres Brulees is smoky and herbal on the nose, picking up hints of crushed stone, red plums and raspberries. It's medium to full-bodied, framed by fine-grained tannins and finishes well, with the licorice notes of super ripe Syrah. It should drink well for a decade.
Range: 90-92 -
Wine Enthusiast
Compared to the producer’s often brooding, massive Cornas bottlings, this brisk Syrah offers pert plum and cherry flavors anchored by a salty mineral backbone. While concentrated in fruit, it’s a vibrant wine marked by an elegant grip of tannins on the finish. Enjoy now–2024.
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Wine Spectator
Solid, with dark cherry and raspberry paste flavors that stream through, infused with anise notes and backed by pretty spice details on the finish. Lively. Drink now through 2021.
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James Suckling
Shows some attractive pepper and spice with crushed violets, red fruit and darker plums. The palate delivers rich, red plums and raspberries, amid smooth, even tannins.
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.