I wondered if a Jean Louis Chav selection like this would seem worth it for the price: Crozes-Hermitage Selection Silene 2020
I’ve heard Crozes-Hermitage is a lot less regarded than a lot of the rest of the Rhone and as this isn’t a proper Hermitage, I wondered if it would be worth trying as an introduction to the area. I might just try it to see for myself but wondered what others’ thoughts are, like if it’s worth it to explore elsewhere in the region, maybe Rotie to begin.
I would start with Saint Joseph over Crozes. Faury is a nice gateway.
If you start with Crozes, I would go with Graillot or Lises. I haven’t had great experiences with the Chave Selection wines.
I also think Faury in Saint Joseph is a good starting point, but generally you’ll have to be equally selective with producers there…
I agree about Graillot in Crozes and almost no one else (haven’t had Lises, will look for some). Monier is worth checking out in Saint Joseph, if you’re okay with some potential funk. When they’re on, they can be really nice.
Crozes-Hermitage can be good. As others have said, Graillot is a good starting place. I haven’t loved the Chave C-H’s either. Jaboulet’s Domaine Thalabert C-H can also be good, though it’s made in a much riper, deeper style.
Crozes is near the Hermitage slope, but most of the Crozes vineyards are on relatively flatland, so the shared part of the name is almost coincidental. The wines are quite different.
The only Graillot I can find near me is this one:
Alain Graillot Crozes Hermitage Blanc 2019
Is white less reputable for that area though?
I suspect that most here were talking about the rouge, not the blanc. White Rhone can be polarizing, and the reds are generally much more popular. For my part, I am not a fan of most white Rhone. That wine is made of Marsanne and Rousanne. Generalizing, of course, but the wines tend to be lower in acid, sometimes higher in body, mouthfeel and alcohol. In any case, exploring the whites is an entirely different prospect than the reds.
I’ll agree with those who say St. Jo is a better introduction to the region, and Faury is a good recommendation. I also like Jean Claude Marsanne. As Doug says, Graillot is good in Crozes. Unlike some here I have found the Chave Selection wines to be decent enough but never had the Silene. I have found the St. Jo Offerus and the CdR Mon Coeur to be solid enough, mostly had by-the-glass at places with underwhelming lists. I’d personally expect the Silene to be the least compelling of the three, which speaks to the relative reputation of Crozes.
Thank‘s for the link to this interesting article about St. Joseph.
One of my everyday drinkers that I buy every year is Franck Balthazar’s Crozes-Hermitage.
It needs atleast one, preferably two years after release to really shine though.
Gilles Robin another option for Croze. I typically find a bit more of the ‘blood & iron filings’ character in Croze where St Joseph tends to have richer fruit. At the price of Croze it’s a good intro to the northern Rhône.
Yes, I second that. I wouldn’t bother with his CdR though.
Combier Clos des Grives is is good if rather pricey.
I completely agree.
Other Crozes worth seeking out include Saint Cosme, Yann Chave (particularly the Le Rouvre bottling), Chapoutier’s Les Varonniers, and Darnaud’s Au Fil du Temps. Very different stylistically. Try to grab a few from the same vintage and try them side-by-side.
The Sorrel Crozes is good, they don’t make much of it though so can be a bit hard to find sometimes
I tend to treat Crozes like a cotes du rhone. The Chapoutier Meysonniers can be decent, the Delas Grands Chemins can be decent, and the Remizieres Cuvee Christophe is also very good in most years.
I like some whites from there. Ferraton Le Grand Courtil is great. For reds, Domaine Rousset Les Picaudières is great if you can find it. Ferraton Le Grand Courtil punches way above its price point.
Have been a huge fan of Crozes as a daily drinker, after getting pointed to it by a master Somm friend who thought there were some great value wines coming out of the region at the time. My go-to has always been Graillot, who was heavily influenced by Dujac and Bize. Cool obituary here for Alain, who died last year → Alain Graillot, Influential Rhône Valley Winemaker, Dies at 77 - The New York Times
Lots of interesting suggestions in this thread, but it seems the names bandied about are all more appropros for heavy duty WB’s who live in cities where they can pop in to Chambers or something. That may not be OP’s situation.
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OP: consider starting with broadly available, commercially oriented rouge Crozes from Guigal, Jaboulet, or Chapoutier. There are a variety of bottlings available, ranging from $20-$60 or so. Most of the recent vintages in the Northern Rhone have been pretty solid, so I wouldn’t get hung up on what year to choose. I don’t buy/drink/taste the blancs from this region, so no help there. All of the names above should be relatively fruiter/plumper/fuller/richer expressions of syrah and the AOC. Afterwards, try some of the more savory expressions, which might also be higher acid, with smoke/olives etc. Most of the suggestions in the thread are in that latter vein, I think.
This thread motivated me to visit the offsite and pull a couple red NoRho, a Dom Belle C-H, vineyard escapes me, and JLC Cornas in its weird Bordeaux bottle.
Thank you for this - I live near Portland Oregon where there’s a lot of Kermit Lynch imports and maybe some of these mentioned. A friend of mine also spoke highly of Alaine Graillot who people have mentioned a lot here I’m seeing. My friend also spoke really highly of the Vincent Paris granite 30, on the nose. And the Jean Louis Chave selections with age. I found that Vincent Paris granite 60 near me, which is a little more expensive, but I really would like to try that.
Vincent Paris does have a Crozes, but I don’t think its widely distributed. The others you refer to might be his Cornas bottlings. Portland should have good availability of all these so maybe you can get a friend or two and try some of these side by side.