The wine region of Crozes-Hermitage is located in the region of Rhône septentrional of Rhone Valley of France. Wineries and vineyards like the Domaine Combier or the Domaine M. Chapoutier produce mainly wines red and white. The most planted grape varieties in the region of Crozes-Hermitage are Marsanne, Roussanne and Mourvèdre, they are then used in wines in blends or as a single variety.
On the nose of Crozes-Hermitage often reveals types of flavors of cream, salt or charcoal and sometimes also flavors of mulberry, pencil shavings or cured meat. In the mouth of Crozes-Hermitage is a powerful with a nice balance between acidity and tannins. We currently count 296 estates and châteaux in the of Crozes-Hermitage, producing 663 different wines in conventional, organic and biodynamic agriculture. The wines of Crozes-Hermitage go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, lamb or game (deer, venison).
Marsanne is a white grape variety that originated in Montélimar in the Drôme, several centuries ago. Marsanne is also found in Cassis, Savoie, Languedoc-Roussillon and Saint-Péray in the Ardèche, where it produces remarkable sparkling wines. The warm, sunny climate of the Rhone Valley, Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence, as well as the dry, stony soil, are ideal conditions for its development. Its bunches are quite large and provide small, juicy berries that are sensitive to grey rot and strong winds. These two grape varieties complement each other perfectly: together they give light wines with little acidity, aromas of yellow fruit, white fruit and flowers with notes of honey and liquorice. This is for example what the appellations Saint-Péray, Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, Saint-Joseph, Côtes-du-Vallée du Rhône, Corbières, or Cassis express... which represent about 700 hectares.
wines from the region of Crozes-Hermitage go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, lamb or game (deer, venison) such as recipes of shoulder of suckling lamb confit with herbs, lamb tagine with dried fruits or venison leg marinated in white wine and grand marnier.
On the nose in the region of Crozes-Hermitage often reveals types of flavors of smoke, mushroom or cinnamon and sometimes also flavors of red currant, white pepper or cassis. In the mouth in the region of Crozes-Hermitage is a powerful with a nice freshness.
Tina Gellie, Content Manager and Regional Editor (Australia, South Africa, New Zealand & Canada) It was a big year of Decanter travel for me, heading to Napa and New York in June, South Africa in October and most recently a week each in Margaret River and South Australia. These trips have formed the basis of my festive selections. Christmas lunch on North Stradbroke Island (reunited with my family after four years, no thanks to Covid) always starts with oysters, followed by a bucket of prawn ...
In his Rhône 2020 vintage report Matt Walls found fresh, vibrant and deliciously drinkable wines across the Northern and Southern appellations, with many wines being approachable now. Given that many wines won’t last as long as previous vintages such as 2016, 2017 and 2019, this could make the 2020s great value picks for immediate drinking. Scroll down to see Matt’s best-value Rhône 2020 tasting notes and scores Walls noted that this is the freshest vintage for whites since 2014, so lovers ...
In preparation for this column I tasted 46 reds in total, and – taking both quality and value into account – I can recommend 33 of them. Overall, the reds were less consistent than the whites, and although the lows were lower, the highs were higher. This tasting confirmed that it’s still possible to buy genuinely excellent northern Rhône reds for under £30 in the UK. That being said, it’s virtually impossible to find any Cornas, Côte-Rôtie or Hermitage for under £30 a bottle these days, but ther ...
