The wines > Crozes-Hermitage

  • ALÉOFANE

    LVT 2007 r Natacha is the sister of Yann Chave; the name Aléofane has literary origins. She pursued philosophy studies at Grenoble, and worked in the PTT, the French Post Office. In her mid-30s, she made her first wine, the Saint-Joseph, in 2004. The style is modern.

  • BERNARD ANGE

    LVT 2006 r wh A mainstream domaine with fairly worthy wines. The Crozes Rève d`Ange red is a wine to allow some bottle age - 4 years or so.

  • CAVE des CLAIRMONTS

    LVT 2007 r A mini-co-operative, with ten people involved, in the southern sector. They are the second largest producer of Crozes-Hermitage after the Tain Co-operative. There is biodynamic working of the vineyards.

  • DARD and RIBO

    LVT 2008 wh 2009 r STGT domaine. Low sulphur use in the vinification.Wines that benefit from decanting, all possess a relaxed charm. Not very long lived. Whites nicely traditional, and more striking than the reds. The very laissez-faire approach is probably better suited to white wine making. A lot of the wine is sold to the CHR trade in Paris.

  • DOMAINE ALAIN GRAILLOT

    LVT 2008 r 2008 wh Organic practices here, without the blah-blah. The first wine was made in 1985: Alain had worked in industry before. There is lovely fruit on the classic when drunk in its first 2 years. The La Guiraude Crozes red is worth cellaring for 4-5 years to allow its proper evolutio - it can live for 10-14 years in the best vintages, such as 2005. The white Crozes has shown recent progress. There are small amounts of frisky red Saint-Joseph and a youngish vine Hermitage. This is an enterprising domaine that has held the flag high and handsome for Crozes across the international markets. Alain had not made a drop of wine or lived on the land until the mid-1980s.

  • DOMAINE BELLE

    LVT 2007 r The Belles also cultivate apricots - hence they are a typical, mixed activity domaine at Crozes-Hermitage. There is solid, consistent quality. This is a benchmark domaine, the wines possessing agreeable fruit and sound tannin. The style is modern. Excess oaking can be an issue. The Louis Belle is a serious, structured wine that keeps and evolves well.

  • DOMAINE BIED

    Prototype old-fashioned domaine - whole bunches, old wood used Only cellar where I have tasted with a lamb wandering around, climbing on cases, pallets etc

  • DOMAINE BREYTON

    LVT 2006 r wh First wine made in 2005. Jacques Breyton works 8.5 hectares of vineyards, but vinifies 3.5 hectares, and sells the rest of the crop to the négoce trade. Traditional wines.

  • DOMAINE COLLONGE - existed until 2004

    The family wound up the domaine before the 2005 vintage, with son Florent retaining 10 hectares and joining the Cave des Clairmonts. The cellars and one-third of the vineyards were bought by Philippe Jaboulet of paul Jaboulet Aine after the sale of their business. Collonge was a mainstream operation on the southern plain, of no great distinction. They had a lot of local and passer-by sales.

  • DOMAINE COMBIER

    LVT 2007 r 2008 wh Organic domaine since his father`s time in the 1970s. Laurent left the Cave de Tain in 1989, made his first wine in 1990. Also grows fruit, notably peaches, some apricots. Wines marked by juicy, agreeable fruit, plenty of style to them - as befits the southern zone near the Isere. The Crozes red Clos des Grives is always a well made wine capable of an attractive second phase after 5 years.

  • DOMAINE DE CHASSELVIN

    LVT 2007 r An articulate young couple who took over in 2005. Sound, regular quality in their first wines. The Lièvres is for drinking after a little ageing.

  • DOMAINE DE LA VILLE ROUGE

    LVT 2007 r wh A couple with a young, keen son who started in 2000. Built cellar in 2006. Organic from 2012. Haven`t yet found their comfortable modus operandi, with their own, rather than their advisors`, sense of conviction.

  • DOMAINE DES 7 CHEMINS

    LVT 2007 r wh The first sales in bottle started in 1990. Father Jean-Louis used to sell crop and wine to Chapoutier. About 35% is bottled - around 35,000. This is a domaine where the approach to wine is very business-like. The family has large fruit interests in the area south of Nîmes.

  • DOMAINE DES CHASSELIÈRES

    A couple both in their late twenties from the Ardèche, the Chomarats took over the southern zone vineyards of an ex-Co-operateur in 2005, starting their career in wine. Over 60% was sold in bulk at first, but the aim is to concentrate on bottling as much of their own wine as possible. The 2006 was the first vintage in their own cellars.

  • DOMAINE DES ENTREFAUX

    LVT 2008 r 2008 wh Younger generation changes here in vineyard work - soil is tilled more, sprayed less. In cellar, no cultured yeasts now used, more working and stirring of the lees, white wines no longer fined. Overt use of new or young oak - can dominate the Machonnieres red. The Coteau des Pends white Crozes can be one of the most elegant whites of the whole appellation, providing the oak use is restrained. Grows good vegetables.

  • DOMAINE DES GRANDS CHEMINS

    LVT 2007 r 18-hectare domaine bought by Delas in March 2006.

  • DOMAINE DES HAUTS CHASSIS, FRANCK FAUGIER

    LVT 2007 r 2007 wh Some promise at this recently started domaine, the owner having left the Tain Co-operative to make his first wine in 2003. Franck Faugier`s grandfather made and sold his own wine, and his father sent the crop to the Co-operative. Les Chassis, the top wine, is the clear winner.

  • DOMAINE DES LISES, MAXIME GRAILLOT

    LVT 2008 r Outward-looking and motivated, Maxime Graillot is a good receiver of his father`s baton. He is determined to make wine in his own style, emphasizing elegance. This is likely to become well-known and fashionable wine. The Crozes from his own vines is called Domaine des Lises. The two merchant wines from Saint-Joseph and Cornas are sold under the name Equis.

  • DOMAINE DES MARTINELLES

    LVT 2007 r 2008 wh A domaine of traditional leaning that started to bottle in 2002. Its wine was previously sold to merchants like Gabriel Meffre for the Laurus cuvée, and Guigal is still supplied. The Fayolles possess a good range of mature vineyards, notably well-placed sites towards the west end of the Hermitage hill - Beaume, Greffieux. The oak presence has been growing, and the red wines can be very reduced - meaning they stink on the bouquet, something that indicates lack of airing during vinification and raising. Decant the reds, therefore. The family also grows apricots and pears.

  • DOMAINE DES REMIZIÈRES , CAVE DESMEURE

    LVT 2007 r wh A domaine that has a close association with ex-restaurateur Patrick Lesec, now a merchant. This means OAK. There are modern winemaking techniques, including micro-oxygenation that may advance the ageing process. The biggest wines benefit from cellar ageing to allow integration. Quality is reliable, the style modern. The whites often provide the truest, best drinking: back in the 1970s, this was a domaine known for its white wine quality under grandfather Alphonse Desmeure.

  • DOMAINE DU COLOMBIER

    LVT 2008 r 2008 wh Has become a well-known domaine at Crozes. First bottled their wine in 1991 - previously all sold to the merchant trade. Still grow fruit, notably apricots. Fully extracted wines with often oily textures. Extraction an issue, I find, with the wines best drunk soon after opening.

  • DOMAINE DU MURINAIS

    LVT 2009 r wh A domaine to follow, even though some of the wines recently have seemed a little technical. The crop was sent to the Tain Co-operative until 1997. Luc Tardy is a qualified oenologue, very motivated, and shows the promising approach of a thinking man. The fruit is less punchy and more streamlined than that of Pont-de-l`Isère and La Roche-de-Glun next door.

  • DOMAINE DU PAVILLON-MERCUROL

    LVT 2007 r wh Official organic vineyard status from 2001. The first bottled wine was in 1989. The old 35,000 bottle average or 40% of the production was hit when the domaine had big problems with its 2003, which threw a very large deposit. Now 20,000 bottles are produced, and the rest is sold in bulk. The fruit can be persuasively succulent. Some wines can dry with air exposure. Stéphane Cornu is an individualist, somewhat out of the mainstream loop, and makes wines that please him - keeping wines.

  • DOMAINE HABRARD

    LVT 2007 r 2006 wh An STGT domaine. A notable card is that the vineyard is mature, averaging over 40 years. They work especially good Marsanne vineyards. The Habrards have always made good white wine. The white Hermitage is now exposed to new oak, which has not helped it. The red Crozes has been gently improving, and comes in a very drinkable, unfussy style. Laurent started in 1998. The family also grows apricots and peaches, and their Apricot juice is served in Paris hotels. Laurent is selling through the internet more and more.

  • DOMAINE LES BRUYÈRES, DAVID REYNAUD

    LVT 2008 r 2008 wh A domaine that is moving to biodynamic cultivation. David Reynaud has used own cuttings from 1950s Syrah to propagate young vines. He left the Co-operative in 2003, and is well worth keeping an eye on. The wines in 2006 were right on the button for what Crozes should be - juicy, fruited drinking, and lots of easy pleasure; the Les Croix 2007 is also above average. Quantity in bottle is rising. David also has 5 hectares of apricots, cherries and plums. A name to file away.

  • DOMAINE LES CHENETS

    LVt 2007 r Straightforward wines. Can hit higher spots in some vintages

  • DOMAINE LES HAUTS DE MERCUROL, SC DE LA TOUR or VEAU D`OR

    LVT 2007 r Big shake-up following the 2003 purchase by the Chéron family (Burgundy, Vacqueyras, Gigondas domaines Pascal). M.Arnavon still works the vineyard. Classic red now only vat-treated, new red wine called Les Hauts de Mercurol. Much needed changes being done.

  • DOMAINE MICHEL POINARD

    LVT 2007 r Chéron family own domains in Southern Rhône at Vacqueyras (the Pascal business) and Gigondas, also Burgundy. Reliable quality, cleanly made wines.

  • DOMAINE MICHELAS SAINT JEMMS

    LVT 2007 r 2006 wh Southern zone domaine - easy fruit emphasis. Attractive Cornas. The Terres d`Arce wines, with their newly introduced branding, are the obvious oak selection, so the annual question is - have they got enough content to handle the oak? The answer comes on a case by case basis. Also grow apricots, peaches, cherries.

  • DOMAINE MUCYN

    LVT 2008 r 2007 wh Jean-Pierre Mucyn used to work in the industrial sector in the North of France, and is a newcomer to Crozes-Hermitage. The wines are very carefully made, and come with a regular elegance. The white is gentle and can serve for aperitif, as well as going along with food. The reds have begun to take shape, with both the Crozes and the St-Joseph displaying sound quality in recent vintages.

  • DOMAINE PHILIPPE and VINCENT JABOULET

    LVT 2008 r wh Philippe Jaboulet was in charge of the vineyards at Paul Jaboulet Aîné before the company`s purchase by the Swiss Frey family in January 2006. He was the member of the family closest to the soil and to the daily realities of winemaking, and branched out into Crozes with his part of the vineyard legacy, joined by his wine school trained son Vincent. The domaine they bought, Domaine Collonge, was tired, and catered for local tastes. They have had much to do, including selling off old stocks of wine made by the previous family. Their first complete vintage was 2006. There are Hermitage and Crozes vineyards, and quality can only improve here.

  • DOMAINE PRADELLE

    LVT 2007 r 2007 wh Straightforward wine. The Pradelle nursery business is now selling 350,000 plants a year, 80% of them Syrah. "Demand for the Syrah has accelerated since 1998," comments Jean-Louis. Jean-Louis is President of the Growers Union of Crozes-Hermitage.

  • DOMAINE ROLAND BETTON

    LVT 2007 r 2007 wh Owned by Pascal, the Burgundian merchants also active at Vacqueyras in the Southern Rhone. First wines were in 2003.

  • DOMAINE ROUSSET

    LVT 2007 r 2006 wh Les Picaudières is one of the best red Crozes-Hermitages - great pedigree, good structure, rich and capable of complexity with evolution. I expect this domaine to provide arch examples of the northern granite in their red wines. The soil is tilled by a mare where feasible. The Roussets grow a few apricots on the hillsides.

  • DOMAINE SAINT CLAIR, DENIS BASSET

    LVT 2007 r wh Denis Basset`s first wine was in 2007. He also grows flowers and vegetables. His main Crozes, Etincelle, means “spark” in French; Denis was electrocuted on the 11 August 2004 when cleaning out a vat, 25,00 watts, but lived to tell the tale. This is the preferred wine, with less oak used. His father, also a nursery man and horticulturalist, retired from the Tain Co-operative in 1999, and Denis delivered his crop there until 2007. 30% is now bottled. The soils are worked, and this is a good addition to the Crozes roster.

  • EMMANUEL DARNAUD

    LVT 2007 r Promising grower, good commitment to detail, and sensible use of oak. One of the bright talents, I suspect. First wine in 2001, son of a viticulteur.

  • ETIENNE POCHON

    LVT 2008 r 2007 wh Co-operateurs at Tain 1965-87. All reds bottled since 1995, all whites since 1998. The reds are better than the whites.The Chateau Curson is some way ahead of regular red wine. Refined style of a modern leaning. Oak is apparent on Château Curson red and white.

  • FAYOLLE FILS and FILLE

    LVT 2008 r 2008 wh A progressive domaine, revitalised by the young generation, father Jean-Paul, the twin of Jean-Claude at Domaine Fayolle J-C & N, having sadly died in 2008. A name to keep an eye on. These are refined wines, and some have STGT characteristics. The whites are notably good. Clear fruit and a leaning towards elegance is the house style.

  • GILLES ROBIN

    LVT 2007 r Gilles went solo, departing the Tain Co-operative, in 1996. A keen young man, he uses no herbicides, and actively works the soil. The winemaking is modern, with an emphasis on extraction: this means the wines can be taut at times. The Papillon is an easy drinking wine for young consumption. The wines are best drunk soon after opening.

  • JEAN-CLAUDE and NICOLAS FAYOLLE

    LVT 2007 r 2006 wh Traditional, even rustic winemaking - wines could be fresher at times. A good set of 2003s was encouraging. Whites are on the up, and are genuinely local.

  • MAXIME CHOMEL

    LVT 2007 r All the wine has been domaine bottled since 2004-05 – before part of the production was sold in bulk to Rhône valley merchants such as Guigal. The wines show local character and an earthy honesty when on form.

  • OLIVIER DUMAINE

    LVT 2007 r 2008 wh An STGT domaine, but the wines can be unstable. The winemaking is hands-off - laissez-faire: low-key use of oak, only natural yeasts. There are stylish wines, with the emphasis is on soft fruit., and they also qualify for w.o.w. status. The family has a pedigree in wine - Olivier came back to winemaking in 1987.

  • WIEDMANN CHATAIN SÉLÉCTION

    LVT 2006 r Biodynamic at Cornas (Cécile), organic at Crozes-Hermitage (Sébastien). Set up in June 2007.

  • YANN CHAVE

    LVT 2008 r wh Father Bernard grows fruit, and is the man of the soil. Yann has taken the domaine forward to greater specialisation in wine. There is exuberant fruit in the classic red from this domaine situated on the plain. The Rouvre, formerly known as Tête de Cuvée red, is some way ahead in depth and interest and shows well in its more mature phase from about four years onwards. These are good, funky wines with sleek textures.