Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2023 Crozes-Hermitage Les Meysonniers Blanc is rock solid, with honeyed stone fruits, tangerine, and spicy, toasty nuances. It's rich, medium-bodied, has a balanced, elegant profile, and a great finish. Made from 100% Marsanne, it spent 8 months on lees in 30% demi-muids (3-4 years old) and 70% stainless steel tanks.
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Vinous
Showing a riper aromatic profile than the La Petite Ruche from the same vintage, the 2023 Crozes-Hermitage Blanc Les Meysonniers bursts with zesty lemon skin, chamomile, pear and yellow apple. Neatly capturing bright elegance on the medium-bodied palate, the 2023 ends with endurance on the sapid finish.
One of the star whites of the Rhône Valley and ubiquitous throughout southern France, historically vignerons have favored Marsanne for its hardy and productive vines. It can make a fruity and delicious single varietal wine as well as a serious, full-bodied version with amazing aging potential. The best examples of Marsanne come from the northern Rhone appellations where it is also blended with Roussanne. Sommelier Secret—Some of the oldest Marsanne vines in the entire world exist not in France but in Australia, in the Victoria region. Settlers planted it in the mid to late 1800s, calling it “white Hermitage.”
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.