hermitage

LOOK WHAT WE FOUND-THE GREATEST CROZES EVER?

Something we never talk about is what goes on behind the scenes. As you might imagine, doing emails and prearrivals involves a lot more accounting than just selling the wine and having someone carry out the door. We have to keep track of the stock while its here. We’re pretty on top of it but, being human, there are occasional mistakes. Not often, mind you, but it can happen. In this particular instance, it was a fabulous bit of good fortune. What if, after doing our due diligence, we found we had ‘leftovers’ of one of the greatest Crozes Hermitages ever made.

We did three shots offering the Jaboulet Crozes Hermitage Domaine Thalabert 2015, arguably the best example yet from this legendary series that is also a house favorite from a historical perspective, with great success. We can’t explain exactly how we miscounted, but we’re sure the numbers are correct to which we are happy to say “woohoo!”.

From top, specific parcels in this fairly large estate, from 40-60+ year old Syrah vines, it resembles a kinder, gentler Hermitage. At present, the nose of blackberries and spice soar from the glass, that same redolent blackberry fruit character rolling across the palate with highlights of olive, pepper, and some smoked meat. It is a notable effort in a storied history. There’s plenty going on right out of the gate and the wine grows from there.

Jeb Dunnuck’s review encapsulates our feelings, “The finest vintage to date, better even than the stellar 2010, the 2015 Crozes-Hermitage Domaine De Thalabert is a gorgeous, deep, layered, and incredibly satisfying Crozes. Blackcurrants, olive tapenade, truffles and earthy notes all emerge from this full-bodied, gorgeously textured and seamless 2015. With fine tannin and no hard edges, it can be drunk today or cellaring for 15-20 years…97 points”

You would be remiss without a few bottles of this living legend in your cellar. If you have some, you likely need more. If you don’t, this is a must. This is a special bottle in a special vintage and an exceptional effort from both a historic and hedonistic perspective. As usual, quantities are finite.

‘Little’ Wine from a Top Dog, Northern Rhone Style

So years ago (2000 actually), we attended the first InterRhone exposition in the Rhone Valley, an event dedicated to presenting Rhone wines in groups during presentations within the various appellations. One of the most memorable days was the ‘show’ in Hermitage, with a large number of who’s who producers. It was in a bank building and the various growers were stationed behind teller’s windows presenting their wares.

The majority of the wines were from the outstanding 1999 vintage, there were three producers whose wines stood out even among the power lineup that was presenting that day. One of the three was a house we had read about but had never yet seen in our part of the world, nor had the opportunity to taste. That was Domaine Sorrel. That event made a lasting impression and we spent the next few years trying to find a viable source for Sorrel’s wines. We got a couple of scraps in the European market but were generally unsuccessful in our effort to solidify a steady source.

About a decade later, the Sorrel wines showed up at a local importer and it was a pretty happy day for us when we snagged the tail end of Sorrel’s 2010 Hermitage. A beautiful wine that encapsulated Sorrel’s distinctive style to a tee, it showed depth and presence but also an uncommon elegance. This wasn’t the biggest or jammiest example of the genre. But it did not lack for stuffing and was impressive for its balance and polish.

Fast forward to today and the 2015 vintage. We had never seen Sorrel’s Crozes Hermitage before but the house style was in full array. The Marc Sorrel Crozes Hermitage 2015 showed plenty of dark fruits with insistent undercurrents of minerality, but the wine also had a harmony and presence that set it apart from the rank and file from this ripe, weighty but sometimes California-like vintage. Crozes can be a little curious from the standpoint of quality because the appellation extends from the hillside to flatter areas near the highway. As we say here, hillside Crozes is better than ‘freeway’ Crozes. In the hands of someone like Sorrel, the equation only gets better.

The reviews indirectly speak of the value in that the score was very close to the Hermitage but the Crozes costs about half as much. Josh Reynolds of Vinous saw it this way, “Deep vivid ruby. Ripe blackberry and cherry scents are energized by cracked pepper and smoky mineral accents. Fleshy and open-knit, offering sweet dark berry and violet pastille flavors and a touch of salty olive paste. The peppery note recurs on a long, blue-fruit-inflected finish that’s given structure by mounting tannins…91 points.” The wine definitely has an upscale feel to it, but at a touch over $30 its pretty wallet-friendly for what it delivers.

ROUSSET CROZES HERMITAGE PICAUDIERES 2015

As hard-core Rhonies know, the 2015 vintage in the northern Rhone was something special…a vintage to be placed along with the icon vintages of the last quarter-century (1989, 1990, 1999, 2003, 2009, 2010). Some might make an argument that this could be the best given the fleshy ripeness, bright lift and freshness, and the fact that winemaking has come a long way in the last 25 years.

What some people tend to forget is that, in such vintages, a whole lot of producers have uncommon success. The wine media will go out of their way to fawn over the acknowledged great ones like Chave, Ogier, and Chapoutier. Those folks have earned their stripes, no question there. But demand for these limited production gems will be fierce, quantities will be low, and prices, if you can find the stuff to buy, will be scary. Our take on the 2015 northern Rhones is much like the 2015 Burgundies…find the hidden gems that you can drink and enjoy without the severe prices. In such vintages, you can find some very cool stuff if you know where to look.

The story goes that the importer found Rousset by asking the locals, including already famous Jean and Pierre Gonon. This was one of the names that kept coming up and, even though this family had been in these parts some eleven generations, they were still under the radar. The press we found only went back a couple of vintages prior to 2015, including some nice notes on the 2014s from Vinous’ Josh Raynolds. We haven’t seen any reviews on this one yet, but we didn’t need them in this case (though we’re sure they will come).

We tasted three wines from Stephane and Robert Rousset, all possessing pure, bright, succulent fruit, and those layered, nuanced, full throttle yet refined flavors that exemplify the best vintages from this part of the Rhone. Since they were all relatively similar in price, we settled on our favorite, the Rousset Crozes Hermitage Picaudieres 2015 . This is a single vineyard that is located on the hillside of Crozes with terraced, granite rows of vines facing south. Some notes made comparisons to Hermitage with respect to the soils and exposure.

To be sure this is certainly no ordinary Crozes. The Roussets own about a half-hectare here (about an acre and a quarter) of densely planted vines, many of which are quite old and date back to the 1930s. It is said to be one of the best parcels of the appellation. They plow by horse where they can, make the wine in the traditional way with only the wild yeasts and this particular bottlings sees a touch of new oak.

The result is a pretty thrilling bottle of Syrah with plenty of well-woven-in minerality and polished notes of the classic meat/smoke element that defines the region, all in a supporting role to a pure, juicy blast of perfectly ripened blackberries and black cherries. This is Crozes that reaches to a higher plane and, with apologies to all of the Rhone Rangers everywhere else, is the kind of wine that can only happen here, when conditions are exceptional, and when the winemaker doesn’t get in the way.

The problem with Crozes is that the appellation has so many variables, with killer vineyards high on the hill and more ordinary stuff along the autoroute. Picaudieres is top dirt and the wine costs way less than anything that says Cote Rotie or Hermitage on it, but it plays at that level. A dark, expressive beauty. These folks are still pretty ‘under the radar’, but we see that changing real soon. Beat the crowds.