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.