M. Chapoutier
Les Varonniers Crozes-Hermitage Syrah
Crozes-Hermitage, Northern Rhône, Rhône, France
Animally, meaty, dark, smokey and brooding - on the nose at least. Opened up after an hour’s decant and was far more rounded on the second night. Has that classic piercing Syrah quality that seems to swamp one’s airways - and plenty of barnyard funk for some time after opening.
On the palate it’s quite mellow, enveloping, beautifully rounded, medium bodied, with just enough acidity and tannin to give it life. I’d love to have tried this five years ago when I feel like it would have had the power to better impersonate a Hermitage. But, no doubt, it’s superb now.
Interestingly (to me!) I actually found this quite hard to distinguish between a decent Rioja. It is very similar in many ways to La Rioja Alta’s Viña Ardanza. Both in the fruit and the presence / quality of oak. The only difference lying perhaps in richness and depth of fruit.
Overall, a beauty of a wine - one of the appellation’s finest.
Animally, meaty, dark, smokey and brooding - on the nose at least. Opened up after an hour’s decant and was far more rounded on the second night. Has that classic piercing Syrah quality that seems to swamp one’s airways - and plenty of barnyard funk for some time after opening.
On the palate it’s quite mellow, enveloping, beautifully rounded, medium bodied, with just enough acidity and tannin to give it life. I’d love to have tried this five years ago when I feel like it would have had the power to better impersonate a Hermitage. But, no doubt, it’s superb now.
Interestingly (to me!) I actually found this quite hard to distinguish between a decent Rioja. It is very similar in many ways to La Rioja Alta’s Viña Ardanza. Both in the fruit and the presence / quality of oak. The only difference lying perhaps in richness and depth of fruit.
Overall, a beauty of a wine - one of the appellation’s finest.
Drinkable Syrah for a warm night. What it lacks in complexity it makes up in drinking pleasure. Almost no tannins but not sweet, a good acid backbone and a pleasant drinker. 09 vintage.
Drinkable Syrah for a warm night. What it lacks in complexity it makes up in drinking pleasure. Almost no tannins but not sweet, a good acid backbone and a pleasant drinker. 09 vintage.
Nov 26th, 2017
Shouting "barbecue" from the rooftops! @Dan Blackwell thanks for this and for the brilliant smoked pork shoulder!
Shouting "barbecue" from the rooftops! @Dan Blackwell thanks for this and for the brilliant smoked pork shoulder!
Apr 2nd, 2017
