Otto's Burgundy & Rhône travelogue / winery visits

Otto_Forsberg · September 6, 2025, 3:28pm

Day 6

We kicked off our morning by taking a quick stroll to the local pâtisserie in Tournon that Ilkka had scouted earlier. This was a much better start for the day than the somewhat anemic breakfast we had the day before!

They had an impressive selection of all kinds of sweets and savories.

Including a whole table of chocolate figures.

This cat seemed more traumatized than delicious!

However, I went for a nice veggie quiche…

…and a classic pain au chocolat.

After the breakfast we headed back to Côte-Rôtie for the final winery visit of the trip. Instead of driving to Ampuis, the heart of Côte-Rôtie, we drove to the neighboring commune of Vérenay, the northernmost village of the appellation, where Domaine Clusel-Roch was located.

The history of the domaine as a wine producer goes back to 1935, when Baptiste and Marguerite Clusel planted some Serine vines in the Côte-Rôtie lieu-dit Les Grandes Places in Vérenay. Back then they ran a mixed farm and grape-growing was only a small part of the production back then.
Baptiste’s and Marguerite’s son, René Clusel, took over the family domaine in the 1960’s. He wanted lean more into the viticultural side, so he expanded the vineyard holdings by planting some cuttings from their original parcel in Les Grandes Places into lieu-dit La Viallière. Finally, in 1969, the domaine began commercializing their own wine as René began bottling some of their Les Grandes Places wine.
René and Joséphine Clusel’s son, Gilbert Clusel, finished his winemaking studies in 1977. However, as the domaine’s holdings were tiny (at less than half a hectare), they couldn’t support enough for all the family, so in 1980 Gilbert began renting old vineyards and producing his own wine while also continuing to help his parents in the vineyard and at the winery. By 1986, Gilbert had expanded his holdings to 2½ hectares.
The winery as we know it today took form in 1987, when René and Joséphine Clusel retired. Gilbert Clusel and his wife, Brigitte Roch, inherited the family winery and vineyards, renaming the domaine as Clusel-Roch.
During the 1990’s Gilbert and Brigitte expanded their holdings further, always propagating by taking cuttings from the original old-vine Serine parcel in Les Grandes Places. They also began toning down their chemical treatments in the vineyards, this culminating in complete conversion to organic farming in 2002, followed by organic certification.
Gilbert and Brigitte’s son, Guillaume Clusel joined the family domaine in 2009, and with him the domaine expanded their holdings by taking over vineyards in Coteaux Lyonnais, further up north.
Maison Clusel-Roch, the négociant operation of Clusel-Roch, was created in 2014 with the aim of producing a wider range of wines outside Côte-Rôtie, from Coteaux Lyonnais and Mâconnais. Guillaume ran Maison Clusel-Roch, while Gilbert and Brigitte continued to operate the family domaine.
Guillaume took the helm of the family domaine in 2021, when Gilbert and Brigitte retired.
The wines are fermented spontaneously and most of the Syrah wines are aged for 2 years in oak - typically in 228-liter pièces and larger foudres. About 15% of the barrels are renewed annually and typically the single-vineyard Côte-Rôties see a bit more new oak than the other wines, which may see just a little or not at all new oak.
While many producers have returned to the traditional whole-bunch vinifications, Clusel-Roch still favors destemming their fruit; in a normal year, the Côte-Rôties see about 30 to 50% whole bunches.
Today the winery produces a large range of wines from various appellations:
- VdF Les Traboules: A blend of Aligoté (50%) and Chardonnay (50%). Vinified in stainless steel.
- VdF Sur Le Mont: A blend of Viognier (40%), Roussanne (40%), Altesse (10%) and Clairette (10%) from vineyards in and around Côte-Rôtie. Aged for 1 year in old oak casks.
- VdF Le Bergerie: 100% Aligoté. Aged for 1 year in old oak casks.
- VdF L’Hecto: 100% Chardonnay from 30 vines. Aged for 1 year in old oak casks.
- Condrieu Verchery: 100% Viognier from the northern part of the appellation. Aged for 1 year in oak.
- VdF Rouge Serine: 100% Serine. Aged for 1 year in predominantly old oak casks.
- VdF Spoutnick: 100% Gamay.
- Coteaux Lyonnais Les Traboules: 100% Gamay from 30 yo vines in Orliénas. Vinified in stainless steel.
- Coteaux Lyonnais Galet: 100% Gamay from 10-50 yo vines in Millery. Aged for 1 year in old oak casks.
- Coteaux Lyonnais Le Clos: 100% Gamay from 25 yo vines in Montagny. Aged for 1 year in old oak casks.
- Coteaux Lyonnais Les Pessiaux: 100% old-vine Gamay from centenarian vines in Millery. Aged for 1 year in old oak casks.
- Côtes du Rhône Les Vergers: 100% young-vine Syrah from a part of the vineyard that extends just outside the Côte-Rôtie appellation. Vinified like their Côte-Rôties.
- Côte-Rôtie Les Schistes: The entry-level Côte-Rôtie of the winery, made with fruit all over the appellation. Typically 95-100% Serine with up to 5% of Viognier.
- Côte-Côtie Le Cinq Lieux: The newest addition to their range; basically an older-vine selection of Les Schistes from the best parcels in certain vineyards.
- Côte-Rôtie Bonnivières: 100% Serine from lieu-dit Bonnivières.
- Côte-Rôtie La Viallière: 100% Serine from lieu-dit La Viallière.
- Côte-Rôtie Le Champon: 100% Serine from lieu-dit Le Champon.
- Côte-Rôtie Les Grandes Places; 100% Serine from parcels in lieu-dit Les Grandes Places, planted in 1935 (50%), 1965 (30%), 1987 (10%) and 2013 (10%).

Having had tasted a few Clusel-Roch wines before - with positive results - I was looking forward to this tasting. However, things took a rather weird turn when we arrived at the domaine - there didn’t seem to be anyone there. We waited for a bit past the scheduled time, at times knocking on the door and aimlessly wandering on the parking lot.

Domaine Clusel-Roch

Finally a young fella came and opened the door and just gestured us inside into the tasting, not really at any point introducing himself, so we really had no idea who he was. Since it was 10 AM Saturday morning, I can imagine it might be the next generation.

Anyways, the lad led us to the bar where he had a bunch of wines waiting for us. It became quite quickly that part of his apparent reluctance to communicate with us was because he seemed to know only a few words in English. However, that wasn’t the whole story, since most of us understood at least some French and one actually spoke it quite well, he still didn’t really talk much and seemed more like he would’ve loved to be anywhere but there for a moment. It started to feel like we were not particularly welcome at the domaine.

We were poured the wines at a rather rapid pace - as the boy seemed to have realized that the faster we tasted the wines, the faster he would get rid of us - so we didn’t really hear much, if at all, background information about the history of the domaine, or how they operate. Everything I wrote above was patched from their website and what else I could find online.

The white wines we tasted were decent, albeit a bit simple. However, things took an odd turn once we got to reds as they felt surprisingly tired, evolved and even oxidative, considering how they were more or less fresh releases. Ilkka asked if the bottles had been opened much earlier, so the kid checked out the scribblings in the back labels: “The white wines… the day before… this red wine… four days ago… this red wine… three days… this one… five days…”

So, we really didn’t get much information about the winery, and not really much from the wines either, since we were tasting the wines how they were after sitting open for more than half a week. Some of the wines were in a more or less good shape, but especially most of the red wines were too tired to give a proper picture of how the wine was supposed to be. Anyways, here are the wines we tasted and the tasting notes.

2023 Clusel-Roch Les Traboules Blanc - France, Rhône, Vin de France (26.4.2025)
A blend of biodynamically farmed Chardonnay (50%) and Aligoté (50%) from the Lyonnais region. Fermented spontaneously and aged in stainless steel tanks for six months. 12,5% alcohol.

Pale yellow-green color. The nose feels sweet and very youthful with somewhat primary aromas of white peach, some pear drops and light leesy tones. The wine feels crisp, clean and quite ripe with a medium body and youthful flavors of pear drops, some juicy notes of white peach and a hint of steely minerality. The high acidity lends good sense of freshness and structure to the wine. The finish is clean, lively and crunchy but also a bit on the short side with a simple, slightly clipped aftertaste of pear drops, some herby tones, a little bit of appley fruit and a hint of sweet white peach.

A simple, clean and straightforward little Chardonnay. Very youthful with still lots of candied fermentation esters. Good sense of freshness, thanks to the high acidity, but lacking depth and thrill. Nothing special to write home about. Priced more or less according to its quality at 13€.
(84 points)

2022 Clusel-Roch L'Hecto - France, Vin de France (26.4.2025)
100% biodynamically farmed Chardonnay from the Lyonnais region. Fermented spontaneously and aged in old oak barrels for 12 months.

Pale lemon-yellow color. The nose feels somewhat sweet-toned with aromas of white peach and ripe apple, some creamy tones, a little bit of nectarine and a hint of savory spice. The wine feels ripe, broad and juicy on the palate with a moderately full body and vibrant flavors of peachy stone fruit, some savory spice, a little bit of ripe Golden Delicious apple, light creamy nuances and a hint of stony minerality. The high acidity makes the overall feel quite fresh and balanced. The finish is ripe, juicy and somewhat spicy with a rather long aftertaste of apricot, some crunchy appley tones, a little bit of leesy creaminess, light woody nuances and a hint of sweet white peach.

A nice, fresh and balanced white. Not really a Bourgogne Blanc, but much more into that direction than the rather simple entry-level white Les Traboules. An enjoyable and harmonious effort that drinks very nicely right now, but might continue to evolve and improve for some years more. Priced according to its quality at 17€.
(88 points)

2022 Clusel-Roch Sur le Mont - France, Vin de France (26.4.2025)
A blend of biodynamically farmed Roussanne (40%), Viognier (40%), Altesse (10%) and Clairette (10%) from approximately 15-yo vineyards around Ampuis and Saint-Cyr-sur-le-Rhône. Fermented spontaneously in stainless steel tanks. Aged for a year in stainless steel tanks and old oak barrels. 13% alcohol.

Youthful pale yellow color. The nose feels a bit restrained and slightly floral with aromas of ripe Golden Delicious apple, some primary notes of gummi candies, a little bit of savory spice, light chamomile nuances and a hint of apricot. The wine feels quite fresh and balanced but also rather broad on the palate with a quite full body and youthful flavors of ripe white peach, some sweet appley tones, a little bit of stony minerality, light creamy nuances and a floral hint of chamomile. The rather high acidity keeps the overall feel nicely in balance. The finish is fresh and juicy with a long aftertaste of greengage and aromatic herbs, some ripe appley tones, a little bit of white peach, light creamy nuances and a hint of savory spice.

A sophisticated and balanced Northern Rhône white. Not maybe that typical, nor particularly complex, but enjoyably balanced and harmonious all the same. Good now, but might improve a little bit with further aging. Priced according to its quality at 17€.
(89 points)

2023 Clusel-Roch Côteaux du Lyonnais Les Traboules - France, Rhône, Côteaux du Lyonnais (26.4.2025)
100% organically farmed Gamay from 30-yo vineyards in Orliénas, south of Lyon. About 2/3 destemmed, 1/3 vinified in whole bunches. Fermented spontaneously, aged in stainless steel tanks for a year. 14% alcohol.

Blackish-red color with a youthful blueish hue. The nose feels fresh and crunchy with red-toned aromas of lingonberries and redcurrants, some herby tones, a little bit of ripe black raspberry and light inky notes. The wine feels ripe, youthful and juicy with a moderately full body and somewhat sweet-toned flavors of boysenberries, some inky tones, a little bit of ripe plummy fruit, light herby nuances and a hint of black raspberry. The moderately high acidity and quite firm medium-plus tannins make the overall feel pretty structured. The finish is ripe, juicy and moderately grippy with somewhat sweetly-fruited flavors of dark plummy fruit, some boysenberry, light gamey tones and a hint of black cherry.

A quite pleasant and enjoyably structured but also rather ripe Gamay. Feels a bit sweeter and weightier than classically styled Beaujolais Gamays - although today many Beaujolais reds are starting to feel similarly sweetly-fruited and weighty. They are, however, not really my cup of tea. Nor was this wine. It's not bad, but it's a bit too ripe for my preference. Priced more or less according to its quality at 12€.
(87 points)

2023 Clusel-Roch Rouge Serine - France, Vin de France (26.4.2025)
100% Serine (an old clone of Syrah) from organically farmed vineyards that are, depending on the source, either: young vines in Côte-Rôtie; a small parcel just outside the Côte-Rôtie appellation, on the plateau above Ampuis; from multiple vineyards in Chavanay (south of Côte-Rôtie) and Millery (north of Côte-Rôtie); or a combination of these. Some sources also say that the older vintages were made with purchased fruit, but now the grapes come from estate vineyards. I honestly have no idea where the fruit actually comes from. About 1/3 of the fruit is destemmed. Fermented spontaneously. Aged in predominantly old (up to 10% new) oak pièces and demi-muids for a year. 12,5% alcohol.

Lightly translucent dark ruby color with a blueish hue. The nose feels extremely bretty with a huge smack of barnyard, horse stables and phenolic spice along with some brambly blackberry tones, light sweeter notes of dark plums and a spicy hint of cracked black peppercorns. The wine feels lively, dry and considerably bretty on the palate with a medium body and savory flavors of brambly blackberries, some barnyardy brett notes, a little bit of gravelly minerality, light funky notes of sweaty leather saddle, a hint of peppery spice and a sweeter touch of ripe dark fruits. The wine is high in acidity with balanced, somewhat grippy medium tannins. The finish is long, moderately grippy and rather funky with a long aftertaste of ripe dark berries, some acetic VA, a little bit of brambly blackberry, light leathery notes of brett, a hint of barnyard funk and a touch of fresh blueberry.

Ugh, this was easily one of the brettiest wines I've had in a while. When we commented at the domaine how the wine seemed to be very different from the other Clusel-Roch wines with its considerably bretty overall feel and slightly elevated level of VA (that started to peek through in the aftertaste), we were just told that "yeah, the bottle has been open for some days". No other explanation. I have no idea if this wine was particularly representative of a fresh bottle, but even if the wine was heavily bretty, I found it otherwise pretty balanced and enjoyable with good sense of freshness and varietal typicity - what I could taste underneath all that rustic funk. The VA was slightly higher than I'd like it to be, but nothing particularly disturbing. I'm leaving the wine unrated, because I'm not sure if a freshly opened bottle would be particularly similar to this bottle. Priced at 17€.

2022 Clusel-Roch Côtes du Rhône Les Vergers - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône (26.4.2025)
100% Serine (an old clone of Syrah) from a part of lieu-dit Le Plomb that is just outside the Côte-Rôtie appellation. The parcels are between 10 and 20 years old. 2/3 of the fruit is destemmed, 1/3 vinified in whole bunches. Fermented spontaneously in stainless steel tanks. Aged in predominantly old 600-liter demi-muids for 10 months. 13% alcohol.

Quite translucent and slightly dull dark ruby-red color. The nose feels juicy and sweetly-fruited with aromas of ripe black raspberries and dark plums along with some evolved notes of earth and meaty character. The wine feels youthful, ripe and silky on the palate with a moderately full body and sweetly-fruited flavors of ripe blueberries and dark plums, some brown spices, a little bit of stony minerality, light balsamic notes of VA and a hint of beef jerky. The structure relies more on the quite ample and moderately grippy tannins than on the soft medium-plus acidity. The finish is long, grippy and a bit tired with a slightly sauvage aftertaste of ripe dark berries, some acetic notes of VA, a little bit of fresh blueberry, light brambly notes of black raspberries, a hint of leathery funk and a touch of balsamico.

When we commented at the domaine how the wine felt somewhat evolved and tired for such a young and otherwise seemingly youthful wine, we were told that the wine had been open for almost a week. Well, I guess that explains something! However, we were not offered a taste from a freshly opened bottle, so it's quite hard to say how the wine would perform if it was in a pristine condition. There are lots of nice, varietally correct elements and I enjoyed the firm, tannic backbone here, but on the other hand, the fruit profile seemed rather ripe and sweet-toned and the acidity came across as a bit soft and mellow. It would've been nice to get a better picture of this wine, because there seemed to be some potential. Leaving the wine unrated. Priced at 35€.

2022 Clusel-Roch Côte-Rôtie Les Schistes - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie (26.4.2025)
A blend of organically farmed Syrah (95-100%) and Viognier (0-5%) from lieux-dits Viallière, Le Champon, Le Plomb and Verenay. Usually more than half of the fruit is vinified in whole bunches. Fermented spontaneously and macerated in concrete vats and stainless steel tanks. Aged in predominantly old oak barrels (max. 15% new) for approximately two years. 13% alcohol.

Deep and somewhat translucent ruby-red color. The nose feels surprisingly dull and underwhelming with distant nuances of wilted flowers, some ripe raspberries, a little bit of earthy spice and a hint of something meaty. The wine feels dry, dull and quite reticent on the palate with a medium body and rather mute flavors of earthy spices, some brambly black raspberry notes, a little bit of gravelly minerality and a floral touch of wilted violets. The wine is high in acidity with quite ample and moderately grippy tannins. The finish is closed, dull and grippy with a medium-long aftertaste of brambly raspberries, some earthy tones, a little bit of ripe blackberry and a savory hint of meaty umami.

I was very surprised how dull and tired this relatively recently bottled Côte-Rôtie was. When asked about this from the person who poured us the wines, we were told that the wine had been open for some days. I don't know why we were poured such wines when it was obvious that the wines were not showing their best, but this is what we got. Structurally and balance-wise the wine seemed to be very much on point, but from aromatic or flavor perspective it's quite impossible to say anything conclusive. Leaving the wine unrated. Priced at 50€.

2022 Clusel-Roch Côte-Rôtie Les Cinq Lieux - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie (26.4.2025)
A recent addition to the Clusel-Roch range: this is a 100% organically farmed Syrah from five lieux-dits in Côte-Rôtie: Fongeant, Bonnivières, Côte Rozier, Leyat and Montmain. The average vineyard age ranges from 35 to 70 yo. Fermented spontaneously. Aged in predominantly old (up to 15% new) 228-liter pièces and 600-liter demi-muids for two years. 13% alcohol.

Dark yet moderately translucent ruby-red color. The nose feels quite youthful and a bit funky with somewhat understated aromas of blueberries, some brambly blackberries, a little bit of leathery funk, light sweeter notes of dark plummy fruit and a hint of earth. The wine feels juicy, dry and a bit austere on the palate with a medium body and quite understated flavors of brambly blackberries, some dark plummy tones, a little bit of gravelly minerality, light blueberry nuances and a hint of old leather. The overall feel is pretty tightly-knit with its high acidity and quite ample, rather grippy tannins. The finish is dry, somewhat closed and quite grippy with a light yet pretty long aftertaste of brambly blackberries, some blueberry tones, a little bit of earth and a hint of plummy fruit.

An impressively structured and relatively fresh Côte-Rôtie that just came across as surprisingly mute and austere, as if lacking badly in the fruit department. The most likely reason for this was because the bottle had been open for some days. I must admit that this wine performed much better than most of the other Clusel-Roch reds we tasted at the domaine, that had already turned somewhat oxidative - or just excessively bretty - with the extended airtime. Most likely this bottle was not particularly representative of a freshly opened bottle - yet still noticeably better than any other red wine we tasted on our visit - which is why I'm leaving it unrated. Nevertheless, it was obvious that the wine showed good promise and I would've loved to taste a freshly opened bottle. Priced at 90€.

2015 Clusel-Roch Côte-Rôtie - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie (26.4.2025)
The last vintage of this cuvée before its name was changed to Les Schistes. A blend of organically farmed Syrah (95-100%) and Viognier (0-5%) from lieux-dits Viallière, Le Champon, Le Plomb and Verenay. Usually more than half of the fruit is vinified in whole bunches. Fermented spontaneously and macerated in concrete vats and stainless steel tanks. Aged in predominantly old oak barrels (max. 15% new) for approximately two years. 13,5% alcohol.

Youthful, quite translucent and relatively deep black cherry color. The nose feels vibrant with aromas of ripe blackberries and juicy boysenberries, some blueberry tones, light floral notes of violets, a little bit of sweet exotic spice, a smoky hint of charred bacon and a touch of peppery spice. The wine feels ripe, juicy and relatively stern on the palate with a moderately full body and intense flavors of blackberries and sweet dark plums, some leathery tones, a little bit of tobacco, light floral notes of violets, a balsamic hint of VA and a touch of peppery spice. The wine shows impressive sense of structure with its moderately high acidity and ample, chewy tannins that slowly pile up on the gums. The finish is juicy, rich and grippy with a long, powerful aftertaste of ripe blackberries, some dark plummy tones, a little bit of tobacco, light balsamic notes of VA, a hint of sweet boysenberry and a touch of peppery spice.

A rich, noticeably ripe and still surprisingly balanced Côte-Rôtie that shows the solar qualities of the vintage, yet at the same time comes across as relatively lean and quite structure-driven with its good combination of acidity and ample yet not tough tannins. An impressive and quite promising wine that still feels - even at almost 10 years of age - a bit too young for its own good. This wine shows no problems complying with the rule of 15 and most likely this wine will easily age and evolve for another 10-15 years more. An impressive powerhouse of a wine with lots of upside. Recommended. Priced according to its quality at 80€.
(92 points)

In the end me and Ilkka purchased bottles of Côte-Rôties so that we wouldn’t come across as people who came there just to drink some wine and be off their way, but I have to admit that the visit left a somewhat sour taste in the mouth. After all, we just didn’t turn up unexpectedly and unannounced at the winery, but had booked a visit a good month earlier - and hopefully it was made then apparent that we weren’t just random tourists, but some pretty serious serious winos - so I think it wouldn’t have been too much to ask to have somebody there who would’ve been actually able to discuss with us and tell us something about the winery and the wines - and to actually have us taste wines that are still in a decent shape! Any serious person promoting the wines would’ve tasted the wines beforehand, realized that they were already quite gone, and replaced them with fresh bottles, but our young host didn’t seem to be bothered. As we left the winery, we asked from ourselves was it really worth to take the one-hour drive from Tournon to Côte-Rôtie - and pay the road tolls - for this kind of a visit?

Anyways, for the return trip we decided to skip the highway and the road tolls by taking the scenic smaller road that went through Condrieu, Château-Grillet and the big stretch of Saint-Joseph hillsides as we drove back south for our lunch in La Roche-de-Glun.

R_M_Kriete · September 6, 2025, 3:36pm

Sorry that your final tasting was such a bust

Mark_Henderson · September 6, 2025, 10:00pm

I’ve had some truly wonderful visits over the years but occasionally the odd dud and I guess that you have to expect that from time to time. I had an experience that somewhat echoed yours Otto in Vacqueyras several years ago. It was a walk up rather than a booked visit, but the winery hours were clearly marked and we were well before closing time. It was an estate who’s wines we had enjoyed in New Zealand so we were eager to see what the new vintage would offer.

A young woman turned up in the tasting room and looked like she would really rather be off drinking with friends. Conversation was desultory and she was offhand almost to the point of rudeness. The wines though were terrible. Some had clearly been open for too long (she wouldn’t engage as to how long), but others were frankly just not good. She rushed through them while flicking through her phone and seemed relieved when we didn’t want to buy any.

The NZ importer didn’t bring them in the following year, so must have agreed that quality had taken a nose dive.

Glen_Gold · September 6, 2025, 10:58pm

Sorry to hear about Clusel-Roch. I had a 1995 Les Grandes Places 22 years after vintage that was my gateway drug for the Northern Rhone.

Rahsaan_M · September 7, 2025, 12:42am

Yes, that’s a shame, but it does happen from time to time. And what a combination of disinterested pourer and old stale bottles. Oh well.

Otto_Forsberg · September 8, 2025, 7:53am

It’s not a biggie! After so many exceptional visits, one dud didn’t manage to put a dent on the awesomeness of our trip!

Lol sounds like it. Seemed like the visit was waste of time for all the participants, sadly!

Indeed! I know they make terrific wines - and this visit didn’t change this view - but it would’ve been nice to taste those wines as well! A bunch of tired, oxidative wines doesn’t really convey the quality I’ve grown to expect from the domaine. Lucky for them we were actually bunch of winos, since if we had been just random tourists who know nothing about wines, it would’ve been easy to think that the wines just suck big time and they didn’t know how to make good wines!

Yes it does, sadly. I wish it didn’t, though - especially in such cases as these when we’ve booked the visit well in advance and the domaine has every opportunity to make the visit a good one. this kind of behavior just makes us feel we were not worth their time.

Rahsaan_M · September 8, 2025, 12:16pm

Isn’t that the conventional wisdom, that these visits usually aren’t worth their time, in a strict financial sense? For the more famous and successful domaines, it’s more of a ‘service’ to the community. Maybe it also keeps good will flowing, and, if they are extroverted, they might enjoy connecting with the public.

And yes, there are also domaines where they sell a lot of wine to local/regional customers who come to taste the latest vintage and stock up for the year. But that’s also different from our geeky visits.

So I can see how it feels tough for many places.

IlkkaL · September 8, 2025, 12:45pm

Were I to run a winery I think I would rather not receive visitors than have an uninterested student type host them with oxidized bottles.

Otto_Forsberg · September 13, 2025, 12:59pm

Day 6 cont’d

Alright, so, as I mentioned in my previous post, we drove to La Roche-de-Glun - an island village in the middle of the river Rhône - for lunch.

Auberge Monnet, a combined eatery and a wine shop, was just the perfect spot.

The wine shop side, right next to the restaurant side.

First we ordered some glasses of Jura white for the starters (Ilkka was planning on going with a Champagne, but fortunately came to his senses) and then a bottle of Saint-Joseph for the main course.

Entrée: terrine de cochon

The main course: gratinée de ravioles au bleu du Vercours - this was an absolutely delicious dish. I could probably eat this stuff for the rest of my life and not get bored of it!

Our lunch wines

2021 Domaine de la Touraize Chardonnay Arbois En Flandre - France, Jura, Arbois (26.4.2025)
100% biodynamically farmed Chardonnay from a 15-yo parcel in lieu-dit en Flandre. Fermented spontaneously. Aged for 24 months in oak barrels. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. 12,5% alcohol.

Slightly hazy, lemony yellow-green color. The nose feels sharp, electric and somewhat reductive with crunchy aromas of lemony citrus fruits and leesy tones, some smoky notes of popcorn reduction and even burnt hair, a little bit of herby greenness, light Granny Smith apple notes, a hint of almost unripe peach and a touch of creamy oak. The wine feels crisp, dry and precise on the palate with a medium body and intense flavors of ripe lemony citrus fruits and tart Granny Smith apple, some leesy tones, a little bit of creamy custard, light lactic notes of vanilla yogurt, a hint of salty liquorice and a mineral touch of wet rocks. The bracing acidity lends a tremendous amount of structure and electric energy to the wine. The finish is crisp, dry and slightly reductive with a long, tangy aftertaste of tart Granny Smith apple and lemony citrus fruits, some woody tones, a little bit of almost unripe peach, light smoky and rubbery notes of reduction, a mineral hint of wet rocks and a touch of leesy creaminess.

A delicious, crisp and tangy Chardonnay that is just textbook ouillé Jura: leesy, sharp and electric. The overall feel is still super youthful with a rather prominent streak of smoky reduction along with slightly unintegrated oaky tones and subtle nuances of lactic character from the MLF. Nevertheless, this is an absolute banger already now, showing immense energy, freshness and flavor intensity. Although terrific for immediate consumption, I'd let the wine age for at least a handful of years more as it feel so promising and pretty ageworthy. Smashing stuff, highly recommended. Solid value at 9€ a glass in a restaurant.
(92 points)

2021 Aurélien Chatagnier St. Joseph Zelee - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph (26.4.2025)
100% Syrah from several parcels, but for the most part from a vineyard planted in 1990. Fully destemmed. Fermented spontaneously. Aged in oak barrels (90% new) for 15 months. 13% alcohol.

Deep, slightly translucent dark ruby color. The nose feels open with youthful, expressive aromas of sweet blackberries and boysenberries, some floral notes of violets, light spicy nuances of cracked peppercorns, a hint of fresh black cherry, a touch of ripe raspberry and a whiff of sweet oak spice. The wine feels firm, ripe and quite structure-driven on the palate with a moderately full body and intense flavors of brambly black raspberries and ripe blackberries, some tart lingonberry notes, a little bit of peppery spice, light meaty tones, a sweet hint of juicy dark plum and a touch of dark-toned oak spice. The wine doesn't feel particularly crunchy despite its high acidity, but with its quite firm and assertive tannins, the overall feel is pretty chewy and muscular. The finish is long, lively and rather grippy with an intense aftertaste of blackberries and blueberries, some dark plummy tones, a little bit of brambly raspberry, light tart notes of lingonberries and cranberries, a hint of peppery spice and a touch of sour cherry bitterness.

If the wine really sees as much new oak as the internet says, I'm positively surprised, because the wine is wonderfully pure and quite classically styled, showing very little oak influence and tons of classic Northern Rhône Syrah aromatics and flavors. Considering how 2021 was relatively cool vintage in which many producers struggled to achieve sufficient ripeness, this wine shows considerable ripeness and quite a bit of substance for the vintage - yet great sense of acidity and brightness, as can be expected from the vintage. This was still very youthful, yet not primary, meaning the wine was drinking really well right now, but also showing tons of promise for future development. A lovely NRS by all accounts, recommended. Good value at 55€ in a restaurant.
(92 points)

After our terrific lunch that had washed all the bad taste that our disappointing visit to Clusel-Roch might’ve left in our mouths, we headed for the wine shop side. Not only did we buy some vinous souvenirs we could bring home with us, but also something a bit more special for the day: somewhere before or during the lunch we had decided that we needed to go have some Hermitage on the Hermitage hill, so we combed through the selection until we managed to find a suitable bottle. We also returned to the restaurant if we could buy four wine glasses, too - after all, we were definitely not going to drink this stuff straight from the bottle!

After we had packed our purchases into our van, we returned back to Tain l’Hermitage. And it might sound a bit counterintuitive, seeing how the huge Hermitage hill towers above the town, but it was ridiculously difficult to get to the hill with a car! First road: the road’s blocked due to road construction. Ok, let’s take the second road! Nope, one-way street going the wrong way. Well, let’s take the third road. Well, it leads to this underpass that is too low for our van. HOW’S THIS EVEN POSSIBLE?

After some serious navigational tricks through this small yet labyrinthine town, we finally managed to get to the top of the Hermitage hill. Well, to the parking lot next to the scenic spot at Pierre-Aiguille - there’s still a small hike to the actual top of the hill, but not nearly as bad as if you wanted to make the hike from the foot of the hill at Tain! Of course we could’ve done the actual hike, but we were on a clock so we just decided to concentrate on the important things - wine, that is.

The views over the river Rhône, Tain l’Hermitage, Tournon and the vignobles of Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage and Saint-Joseph as we make our way to the chapel on top of the hill (I patched this panorama picture from two pictures, in case if you’re wondering why the vineyard rows suddenly change orientation in the foreground!).

The entourage after we’ve arrived at the chapel…

…and after they’ve been served some appropriate refreshments!

Our vin local.

2015 Domaine du Colombier Hermitage Blanc - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage (26.4.2025)
A blend of Marsanne (90-100%) and Roussanne (10-0%) from a 0,2-hectare parcel in lieu-dit Maison Blanche. Fermented and aged in predominantly old 600-liter demi-muids. 13,5% alcohol.

Medium-deep honey-yellow color. A rich and evolved nose with a complex bouquet of honey and wizened apricots, some apple jam, light nutty notes of roasted walnuts, a little bit of cooked cream, a hint of ripe nectarine and a perfumed touch of wilted flowers. The wine feels ripe, evolved and somewhat oily with a full body, rich texture and fully mature flavors of wizened apricots and roasted nuts, some sweet apple jam tones, a little bit of chopped almond, light grainy tones, oaky hints of cooked cream and browned butter and a touch of acacia honey. The medium-to-moderately high acidity is a bit on the modest side for such a big wine, yet sufficient enough to keep the overall feel balanced. The finish is rich, evolved and somewhat sweetly-fruited with a long, complex aftertaste of acacia honey and almond paste, some grainy tones, a little bit of wizened apricot, light apple jam tones, oaky hints of savory wood and cooked cream and a touch of floral spice.

A rich, voluminous and quite substantial white Hermitage that is sitting firmly on its plateau of maturity. The wine is starting to show some tertiary complexity but still retains enough fruit and power to make it clear the wine is not going downhill nor is showing signs of giving up anytime soon. Most likely the wine is not evolving any further from here, and it has probably been at full maturity for some time now, but I'd say the wine is not going to fall in pieces anytime soon. As no further aging is necessary - nor even recommended - I'd say drink the wine now or within the next handful of years. Terrific stuff; a classic big white Hermitage with nice aged complexity. Priced according to its quality at 65€. (93 points)

Our nice little pause above the everyday buzz.

Me enjoying the views from Chapoutier’s L’Ermite vineyards.

The views in the opposite direction, away from Tain. You can see how differently the Hermitage vineyards are farmed - some are lush and green while the others look pretty barren, apart from the budding vines.

From the Hermitage hill we made our way back to our place in Tournon. We packed our stuff into the van (which was getting quite full by this point) and left for Saint-Péray, where our next Airbnb spot was located in.

This is how it looked like in St. Péray. We stayed in one of those nearby yellow houses in the center of the photo.

We had an hour or two to sit down and catch our breath before our next scheduled event: dinner at Aux Cœurs Fidèles, a restaurant just a stone’s throw away, in the middle of St. Péray. And that’s exactly what we did.

And here we are.

Even though we had been to some truly excellent restaurants on our trip, this spot managed to place itself among some of the most memorable eateries with remarkable ease! Unlike some of the places we had been to, which had been quite refined fine-dining places, this was a good few steps into a more down-to-earth rustic direction. However, the service and the dishes were perfectly on point and although the wine list wasn’t as deep or extensive as in some places, it was nonetheless easily on par with the dishes and punching well above its weight compared to other restaurants of similar standing. This is definitely a place I’d love to return to if I’m ever in the vicinity!

Something to nibble on while waiting for the proper dishes to arrive.

A traditional pâté en croûte - our waiter told us this was a dish we didn’t want to skip and as Ilkka seemed to agree with him quite enthusiastically, it was pretty much all settled then.

A classic, rustic terrine.

Some escargots, prepared exactly as they should.

Charcuterie.

Bavette aka. flank steak.

Some of us still went for an extra dessert - chocolate mousse - but I was pretty much done after the cheese board.

What we had with the food.

2014 Domaine Georges Vernay Condrieu Les Chaillées de l'Enfer - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Condrieu (26.4.2025)
100% organically farmed Viognier from vineyards averaging 45 yo. Fermented in oak barrels for 4-5 weeks. Aged for approximately months in foudres and barriques (approximately 20% new). 14% alcohol.

Luminous, intense neon yellow-green color. The nose feels ripe, concentrated and slightly evolved with sweetish aromas of juicy apricots, some chopped almonds, light apple jam tones, a little bit of acacia honey, tertiary hints of roasted nuts and malt syrup and a mineral touch of wet rocks. The wine feels broad, rich and somewhat oily yet still remarkably firm and balanced on the palate with a full body and rich, complex flavors of peach marmalade and chopped almonds, some stony mineral notes, a little bit of honeyed richness, light apple jam tones, tertiary hints of caramel and browned butter and a touch of floral spice. The overall feel is a bit on the round side with the medium-plus acidity, yet the wine sports wonderful sense of freshness and structure for a Viognier. The finish is long, rich and harmonious with a complex aftertaste of apricot and acacia honey, some developed caramel tones, a little bit of floral spice, light nutty notes, tertiary hints of browned butter and dried stone fruits and a touch of stony minerality.

An exceptional Condrieu that is inching towards its apogee. There are some tertiary notes and the wine obviously isn't young anymore, yet there's still tons of life and energy in the wine. I'd say the wine is close to its peak, but there's still a tiny bit of room left for further evolution. What's the most remarkable thing in this wine, however, is how it is so very textbook Condrieu with its rich, oily texture and lush flavors; yet it is so wonderfully fresh and harmonious for the genre at the same time, feeling atypically light on its feet for a Condrieu. This is a broad and opulent wine for sure, but without any sense of heaviness. Vernay is simply the true master of Condrieu. Not particularly affordable at 160€ (in a restaurant), but arguably delivers for the price. (95 points)
2011 Domaine de Trévallon - France, Provence, Alpilles (26.4.2025)
A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (50%) and Syrah (50%) harvested over the second third of September. Vinified entirely in whole bunches. Fermented spontaneously. Aged on the lees in foudres and oak barrels for at least two years. Fined but not filtered before bottling. 12,5% alcohol.

Slightly evolved black color with a subtly maroon hue. The nose feels attractively juicy and very vibrant with nuanced aromas of ripe blackcurrants and dark plums, some pipe tobacco, light fragrant cherry pit tones, a little bit of leathery funk, a hint of boysenberry and a sweet, lifted touch of balsamic VA. The wine feels silky, layered and balanced on the palate with a medium body and slightly developed flavors of juicy dark berries, some ripe plummy tones, a little bit of wizened blackcurrant, light leathery nuances, a hint of pipe tobacco and a touch of brambly blackberry. The structure relies both on the high acidity and the medium-plus tannins that slowly grow in grip, piling up on the gums. The finish is ripe, juicy and moderately grippy with a dry, nuanced aftertaste of wizened blackcurrants, some leathery tones, a little bit of pipe tobacco, light plummy notes, a hint of cherry pits and a touch of blackberry juice.

A beautiful, classically styled and harmonious vintage of Trévallon that is in a great spot right now. The wine feels a tad lighter-weight than usual with its slightly sleeker body and somewhat modest alcohol, but I don't mind - the manages to combine relatively lightweight expression and good fruit intensity effortlessly together. With 14 years under its belt, the wine isn't young anymore, but even if it is showing some evolved qualities, the overall feel is still relatively youthful for the age and with this much fruit and structure, I can see the wine developing and improving for a good number of years more. A very complete wine with some upside. However, at 194€ (in a restaurant), the wine is starting to get a bit pricey for the quality. (94 points)
2014 Domaine Tempier Bandol Cabassaou - France, Provence, Bandol (26.4.2025)
The grapes are sourced from warm, low-yielding plots planted at low altitudes and thus protected from the Mistral wind. A blend of mainly Mourvèdre (~90%) with some Syrah and a little bit of Cinsaut. Fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts in concrete tanks. Macerated with the skins for 3-4 weeks. Aged for 18 months in large oak foudres. 14,5% alcohol.

Dense, fully opaque blackish-red color that has lost its youthful purplish robe. The nose feels dense, brooding and a bit closed with sweet-toned yet slightly reticent aromas of soft dark plums and dark berries, some licorice root tones, a little bit of ripe blackberry, light funky notes of leather and animale, a hint of boysenberry and a touch of earthy garrigue. The wine feels rich, juicy and subtly sweet-toned on the palate with a full body and brooding, dark-toned flavors of dark plums, some licorice, light boysenberry tones, a little bit of stony minerality, a hint of leathery funk and a touch of earth. The overall feel is pretty stern and muscular with the rather high acidity and ample, grippy tannins. The finish is long and grippy with an aftertaste that has somewhat understated fruit department yet shows otherwise intense notes of earth, some savory notes of meaty umami, a little bit of dark plummy fruit, light licorice root tones, sweet hints of ripe bilberries and boysenberries and a touch of fresh blackberry.

A rather big and muscular yet not heavy vintage of Cabassaou that shows a good deal of harmony, but also comes across as a bit subdued in fruit flavors. Perhaps the wine is in a slump now - the youthful, juicy fruit flavors have started to fade but no tertiary flavors have emerged in their stead? Go figure. Although the fruit flavors were slightly reticent, the wine wasn't lacking in power or intensity and the overall feel was pretty impressive and thoroughly enjoyable. Most likely the wine was just opened too early and it will continue to age and improve effortlessly for another decade or two. A bit on the pricey side at 147€ (in a restaurant), but not forbiddingly so. (93 points)

And naturally, after we were all but finished, we asked for a digestif - after all, we had noticed all the Chartreuse bottles behind the counter. “Just a moment, s’il-vous-plaît” was the reply…

…and here we go again.

Apparently we looked like we hadn’t had enough, since our waiter was pretty adamant that we also had to have some ice cream with a pour of marc from Cornas before we left. Who am I to say no to this?

All in all, this was an amazing evening by any standards! Everything here was just on point and then some. Unlike on some evenings, where we were the first customers to come in (well, we were this time, too) and the last ones to go out, this night there were still a few customers in the restaurant after we left - but damned if we didn’t try our best!

Phil_T_r_o_t_t_e_r · September 13, 2025, 1:12pm

Great travelogue Otto!

And count me in the, “can’t say no to Chartreuse” camp. It’s led to bad decisions and long night outs !

Alan_Rath · September 13, 2025, 4:36pm

I brought that Vernay to a wine group dinner last month, and your descriptions are perfect. Fantastic wine, which I wish was both more available and affordable here.

IlkkaL · September 13, 2025, 4:48pm

Unfortunately it’s not really affordable anywhere. That said it’s really hard to find something exactly like it for a lower price.

Mariano_Chiaramonte · September 13, 2025, 5:20pm

I support Ilkka on this one

Rahsaan_M · September 13, 2025, 6:22pm

I don’t know whether to be more impressed by the winery visits and meals or the fact that four friends found a week to spend with each other all focused on the same thing. That is a feat in and of itself!

R_Frankel · September 13, 2025, 7:54pm

So many wonderful meals and human stories in this thread, thank you Otto! But the ability to spend an entire evening in a restaurant without being pushed along or out makes dining in Europe such a pleasure. Good food and wine helps a lot, of course!

Otto_Forsberg · September 13, 2025, 11:35pm

Well, we had started discussing this whole trip some four five years beforehand, so we had more than enough time to take care of things so that we could take a week off! There’s no way you could just find a suitable week-long slot for four like-minded winos on just a few months’ notice.

Thank you!

Of course there are such places here in Europe, too. You just know what you’re getting into beforehand - it would be a massive downer if the staff started ushering us out when we thought we were just getting started!

And it would be truly sad to live in a place where restaurant dining is a test of speed, not endurance!

I had to check out how long we stayed in this last place, Aux Cœurs Fidèle. I think we had a reservation at 7h30 - most of the customers seemed to come in at 8 pm or later. We left the restaurant at 11h20, almost four hours later. At no point were we rushed nor we felt that nothing was happening. Everything rolled on like a well-oiled machine there.

Rahsaan_M · September 14, 2025, 12:53am

!!! Also impressive. I saw that in the first post. With my friends, it can be difficult to plan a few days in advance. Sounds like a great experience all around. Hopefully not another 4-5 years until your next report!

Otto_Forsberg · September 28, 2025, 8:01pm

Day 7

Alright, it’s time for the report on the last complete day we had in France!

Since our visit to Clusel-Roch on Saturday, the day before, was our last booked winery visit, we didn’t have any further winery visits planned for the Sunday. Instead, we had managed to secure free tickets to Le Grande Week-end de Crozes-Hermitage in Mercurol through Domaine Belle, who were going to be presenting their wines there for the whole weekend.

First things first: while the rest of us were still waking up and slowly getting prepared for the coming day, Ilkka had already gone off to a boulangerie nearby to secure a fresh and healthy breakfast for the group. Not complaining - the stuff he brought back were definitely some of the best we had on our trip!

Just the right way to kick off the day.

I like your funny flavors, magic bread.

The day before, when we were walking from our Airbnb to the restaurant Aux Cœurs Fidèles for dinner, we noticed that there was a little crêperie on the way. That seemed like a promising place where we could have our lunch before we set off for the Crozes-Hermitage wine fair! However, we had to wait until noon before the eatery opened its doors, so all we could do in the meantime was tidy up the Airbnb; prepare and pack all the wine bottles we had bought (naturally everybody was prepared with rolls of bubble wrap and duct tape!); and then just hang out and relax, enjoying the wonderful Saint-Péray views from the porch.

Ilkka charging himself up in the morning sun after the breakfast.

When the clock finally reached noon, we packed our van once more and then we made the small trip to the crêperie - which was already half-filled by the time we got there, just a few minutes past noon!

We are packed and ready to go.

An excellent Breton lunch.

After our lunch we had quick espressos at a café on the nearby plaza. Then we were finally on our way to the Crozes-Hermitage wine fair!

The trip to the fair was very uneventful - we just drove the 30-minute trip from Saint-Péray, through the incredibly flat plains of Crozes-Hermitage, to Espace Eden in Mercurol. Witnessing the long stretches of flat vineyards along the way, it really became obvious why very few Crozes-Hermitage wines can compete with the other appellations of Northern Rhône - since only a small handful of land in the Crozes-Hermitage appellation is on slopes and hills, most of the Crozes-Hermitage wines must come from warm, flat plains where it is much more difficult - even impossible - to make truly distinctive wines. Prime vineyards in this appellation seemed to be few and far between.

At the wine fair we presented our free entrance tickets and we received wine glasses in return. From this point onward, things were pretty straightforward: we just plowed through the producer stands, one after another after another. The other three guys went probably double or triple speed compared to me, as they just tasted quickly through the wines, whereas I took my time writing notes on all the wines I tasted.

Since I wrote notes on so many wines on that day, I’m not going to post them here at one go, but instead just a few producers at a time. Starting now with the wines from the three first stands.

Domaine Durand
I guess you have to start somewhere, and since their stand was located right next to the entrance, we just naturally checked them out first.

This is a moderately sized domaine of 20 hectares, located in Chateaubourg - a commune between Saint-Joseph and Cornas. The winery is managed by two brothers, Éric and Joël Durand, and they mainly produce reds from Saint-Joseph and Cornas - although they do farm white grapes in Saint-Joseph, Saint-Péray and Collines Rhodaniennes; about 1 to 1,5 hectares in each appellation.

2023 Domaine Durand St. Péray - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Péray (27.4.2025)
A blend of Marsanne and Roussanne. Aged in stainless steel (65%) and oak barrels (35)%.

Somewhat intense, medium-to-moderately deep yellow-green color. The nose feels ripe and yellow-fruited with aromas of nectarine and cantaloupe, some greengage, light herby nuances and a hint of floral spice. The wine feels ripe, slightly oily and somewhat sweetly-fruited on the palate with a full body and youthful flavors of pear and greengage, some stony mineral notes, a little bit of floral spice and a hint of sweet Fuji apple. The moderately high acidity manages to keep the wine enjoyably balanced. The finish is fresh, long and slightly spicy with a youthful aftertaste of floral spice, some appley tones, a little bit of greengage, light notes of nectarine and a hint of stony minerality.

A nice and balanced St. Péray with good sense of balance. The overall feel is still very primary and thus somewhat sweet-toned, making it hard to get a full picture of the wine now. However, it does show good promise and with another year or two of additional aging this might turn into a very lovely little drop. Priced according to its quality at 21,50€.
(89 points)

2023 Domaine Durand St. Joseph Les Côteaux - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph (27.4.2025)
100% Syrah from the southern part of Saint Joseph. Fully destemmed. Fermented and macerated with the skins in stainless steel tanks over 2 to 3 weeks. Aged in 228-liter pièces and 400 and 600-liter demi-muids (15% new) for 12 months.

Somewhat translucent blackish ruby color. The nose feels youthful and a bit reticent with somewhat simple aromas of ripe raspberries, some blackberry tones, a little bit of fresh bilberry and light spicy nuances. The wine feels juicy, a bit round and somewhat sweetly-fruited on the palate with a medium-to-moderately full body and youthful flavors of ripe blackberries, some blueberry tones, a little bit of peppery spice, light floral notes of violets and a hint of meaty character. The acidity feels moderately high and the medium tannins are somewhat grippy, but the ripeness of the fruit still makes the wine come across as somewhat soft. The finish is juicy, ripe and gently grippy with a rather long aftertaste of blackberries, some plummy tones, a little bit of peppery spice, light woody nuances, a hint of brambly blackberry and a touch of blueberry juice.

A pleasant and enjoyable but also a bit simple and predictable St. Joe. It's entirely possible that the somewhat sweet-toned overall feel and sense of softness are due to the very youthful and somewhat primary nature of the wine and it gains some sense of finesse and firmness as it drops its baby fat. While it doesn't impress much at the moment, it feels there's some upside to the wine. Priced somewhat according to its quality at 23,50€.
(87 points)

2023 Domaine Durand St. Joseph Lautaret - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph (27.4.2025)
100% Syrah from a 30-yo lieu-dit, Lautaret, located in the southern part of Saint Joseph. 85% of the fruit is destemmed. Fermented and macerated with the skins in stainless steel tanks over 2½ to 3½ weeks. Aged in 228-liter pièces (20% new) for 12 months.

Slightly translucent and quite youthful black cherry color. The nose feels youthful, sweet-toned and juicy with slightly closed aromas of ripe blackberries and blueberries, some brambly notes of black raspberries, a little bit of dark plummy fruit, light peppery nuances and a hint of rubbery reduction. The wine feels gentle, supple and slightly warm on the palate with a moderately full body and clean, somewhat sweet-toned flavors of ripe black raspberries and dark plummy fruit, some ferrous notes of blood, light peppery tones, a little bit of rubbery reduction and a hint of blueberry juice. The medium acidity and soft medium tannins don't contribute much to the sense of structure. The finish is ripe, round and somewhat sweetly-fruited with a juicy, medium-long aftertaste of dark forest fruits and succulent plummy tones, some peppery notes, a little bit of woody oak, light rubbery nuances of reduction and a hint of earth.

Compared Durand's regular St. Joe, the 2023 Coteaux, this wine seemed sweeter, softer and more ripe in comparison - but also somewhat less expressive, due to its slightly rubbery reductive nuances. Not really my cuppa - I like Northern Rhône Syrah that is fresh, dry and structured. This wine wasn't anything of those; it was just a juicy, succulent red wine with rather a sweetly-fruited Syrah character. I don't expect the wine to turn into anything noticeably more interesting with any amount of aging. Feels pricey for the quality at 29€.
(85 points)

2022 Domaine Durand Cornas Premices - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas (27.4.2025)
100% Syrah from 20-to-50 yo vineyards in Cornas. 85% of the fruit is destemmed. Fermented and macerated with the skins in stainless steel tanks over 2½ to 3½ weeks. Aged in 228-liter pièces (20% new) for 12 months.

Youthful, slightly translucent black ruby color. The nose feels youthful, fruit-forward and somewhat sweet-toned with juicy aromas of blueberries and boysenberries, some brambly notes of fresh blackberries, light spicy nuances, a hint of rubbery reduction and a touch of sweet raspberry. The wine feels ripe, sweet-toned and youthful on the palate with a rather full body and fruit-driven flavors of sweet boysenberries and juicy dark plums, some brambly blackberry tones, a little bit of savory wood spice, light crunchy blueberry notes and a hint of rubbery reduction. The structure relies more on the firm and moderately grippy tannins than on the somewhat soft and mellow medium-plus acidity. The finish is ripe, spicy and moderately tannic with a long aftertaste of peppery spice and sweet plummy fruit, some juicy blackberry and boysenberry tones, a little bit of wood, light boysenberry nuances and a reductive hint of gunpowder smoke.

A nice but also surprisingly lush and fruit-forward Cornas that shows good firmness with its tannic structure, but comes across as pretty soft and gentle due to its slightly modest level of acidity. I guess the wine might gain a bit more finesse and savory complexity with some additional aging as the wine is still so very young, but with this low acidity, I'm not particularly convinced if such a ripe and fruit-driven Syrah can turn into something particularly interesting with any amount of aging. Priced somewhat according to its quality at 30€.
(88 points)

2022 Domaine Durand Cornas Empreintes - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas (27.4.2025)
100% Syrah from 30-to-40 yo vineyards in Cornas. 75% of the fruit is destemmed. Fermented and macerated with the skins in stainless steel tanks over 3 to 4 weeks. Aged in 228-liter pièces (25% new) for 12 months.

Youthful, slightly translucent blackish-red color with a faint blueish hue. The nose feels rich, dark-toned and slightly meaty with aromas of licorice and ripe blackberries, some dark plummy tones, a little bit of earth, light spicy nuances and a hint of vague meaty character. The wine feels ripe, robust and chewy on the palate with a full body and slightly closed flavors of boysenberries and ripe blackberries, some licorice tones, a little bit of smoky reduction, light woody notes of savory oak spice, a hint of stony minerality and a touch of earth. The overall feel is firm and muscular with the moderately high acidity and ample, grippy tannins. The finish is clean, grippy and a bit closed with a rather long, dry aftertaste of dark-toned fruit, some boysenberry tones, a little bit of licorice, light stony mineral notes, a hint of tobacco and a woody touch of savory oak.

A firm and enjoyably structured Cornas that feels somewhat closed and underwhelming - at least at the moment. I can imagine the wine is just in a somewhat awkward phase at the moment as it is still so very young, but still showing some sense of promise. I found the wine much more impressive than the more expensive Confidence cuvée. Pretty solid stuff, but maybe a tad pricey for the quality at 38,50€.
(89 points)

2022 Domaine Durand Cornas Confidence - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas (27.4.2025)
100% Syrah from a 30-yo vineyard in Cornas. 70% of the fruit is destemmed. Fermented and macerated with the skins in stainless steel tanks over 3 to 4 weeks. Aged in 228-liter pièces (30% new) for 18 months.

Almost fully opaque black cherry color with a faint purplish hue. The nose feels a bit closed but very classically Syrah with aromas of brambly blackberries and ripe bilberries, some spicy notes of cracked peppercorns, a little bit of smoky reduction, light floral notes of violets, a hint of woody oak spice and a smoky touch of reduction. The wine feels ripe, sweet-toned and slightly jammy on the palate with a full body and lush flavors of ripe blackberries, some cherry marmalade, light toasty notes of mocha oak, light licorice nuances, a woody hint of savory oak spice and a touch of blueberry juice. The overall feel is somewhat soft and gentle with the medium acidity and ripe medium tannins. The finish is big, slightly warm and somewhat grippy with a long, sweet-toned aftertaste of ripe plummy fruit and juicy blueberry, some sunny notes sweet blackberries and boysenberries, a little bit of licorice, light toasty notes of mocha oak and a smoky hint of reduction.

The nose here felt quite promising as the wine seemed pretty textbook Syrah with its lovely, fragrant aromatics. However, on the palate the wine was completely different with its noticeably sweet-toned and borderline jammy fruit flavors, framed with toasty mocha oak character. Furthermore, the wine was the softest of the 2022 Durand Cornas wines we tasted with its modest level of acidity and ripe, gentle tannins, making the wine lack badly in freshness and the firmness a wine this big and ripe really requires. While not a truly bad wine, this was something of a disappointment after two better Cornas wines. At 58,50€ the wine seems quite pricey for the quality.
(86 points)

Domaine Vendome
The next stand we checked out was Vendome, which was a winery recommended to us by the sommelier at restaurant Le Cerisier a few nights earlier.

This is also a domaine of approximately 20 hectares, located between the Crozes-Hermitage comunes Larnage and Mercurol, in the shadow of the Hermitage hill. Although the Vendome farm has been around for more or less a century now, they have historically farmed cherries, apricots and lavender, not grapes; the first vineyards were planted only in 2010 and they started commercializing their own wine just in 2020. Currently the domaine encompasses vineyards in Crozes-Hermitage, a very high-altitude parcel in Cornas and some Syrah and Viognier vineyards in Collines Rhodaniennes. These were some of the very first vintages they have ever made - and it seems like a very promising start, from what we could taste!

2023 Domaine Vendome Crozes-Hermitage Les Bruclas Blanc - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage (27.4.2025)
A blend of organically farmed Marsanne (70%) and Roussanne (30%). Fermented and aged mainly in stainless steel (1/3 of Marsanne was aged in an old 500-liter demi-muid).

Pale yellow color. The nose feels very youthful and sweetly-fruited with aromas of pear drops, some floral notes of lavender, a little bit of hoppy herbs, light candied primary fruit aromas and a hint of ripe white peach. The wine feels youthful, soft and round on the palate with a moderately full body and quite primary flavors of white peach, some floral tones, a little bit of pear drops, light sweet notes of of apple jam and a herby hint of basil. The medium acidity doesn't lend much freshness or structure to the wine. The finish is soft, youthful and clean with a medium-long aftertaste of herby spice, some floral tones, a little bit of ripe pear and sweet white peach, light primary notes of sour apple candies and pear drops and a hint of apple jam.

A rather simple and soft Northern Rhône white. Not bad, just doesn't manage to hit any spots. Feels just very banal with its candied primary flavors. Miles away from the more impressive 2023 Vendome Lehm white. Feels overpriced for the quality at 22€.
(84 points)

2023 Domaine Vendome Crozes-Hermitage Blanc Lehm - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage (27.4.2025)
100% organically farmed Marsanne from lieu-dit Chapelle, located right next to the Hermitage hill. Fermented partially in stainless steel, then racked into new, untoasted 500-liter demi-muids to finish the fermentation. Aged for 10 months in oak.

Pale yellow-green color. The nose feels nuanced and somewhat sweet-toned with fine-tuned aromas of ripe yellow fruits, some herby floral tones, a little bit of creamy oak, light youthful notes of ripe pear, a hint of woody oak spice and a touch of exotic spices. The wine feels rich, firm and harmonious on the palate with a medium-to-moderately full body and bright flavors of ripe Golden Delicious apple, some creamy oak tones, a little bit of savory spice, light floral notes, a hint of juicy white peach and a youthful touch of ripe pear. The high acidity lends great sense of freshness and structure to the wine. The finish is fresh, long and dry with a rather intense aftertaste of pear and ripe greengage, some stony mineral notes, a little bit of creamy oak, light floral nuances and a hint of crunchy Golden Delicious apple.

Marsanne is known to soak up oak flavors, so a 100% Marsanne aged in new oak barrels sounds like a disaster. However, the oak impact here is remarkably tiny, letting the emphasis stay on the fresh and vibrant fruit flavors. After the simple, super-primary and somewhat soft Vendome Crozes-Hermitage Blanc Bruclas, this was a major step up in quality. This is a lovely and balanced Rhône white right now, but I can see it evolving and improving over a good handful of years, too. Priced according to its quality at 32€.
(90 points)

2023 Domaine Vendome Crozes-Hermitage Les Coulaires - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage (27.4.2025)
100% organically farmed Syrah from 40-yo vineyards. Fermented and aged in concrete tanks.

Slightly translucent blackish-red color. The nose feels clean, intense and very much like a textbook Northern Rhône Syrah with a big smack of cracked peppercorns and brambly blackberries, some crunchy crowberry tones, light sweeter nuances of boysenberries, a hint of dark plummy fruit and a touch of smoky reduction. The wine feels clean, lively and crunchy on the palate with a medium body and bright flavors of brambly blackberries and cracked black peppercorns, some ferrous notes of blood, light gravelly mineral notes, a little bit of crunchy crowberry, a floral hint of violets and a sweeter touch of blueberries. The overall feel is fresh and very balanced, thanks to the high acidity and firm medium tannins. The finish is clean, long and somewhat grippy with a bright aftertaste of peppery spice and fresh blackberries, some floral notes of violets, a little bit of sweet blueberry, light brambly nuances of black raspberries, a hint of tart crowberries and a touch of olive.

A wonderfully fresh, sophisticated and balanced Crozes-Hermitage that shows all the classic Northern Rhône Syrah qualities one looks for in these wines. No fuss, no thrills or frills, just good, crunchy Syrah fruit and nice sense of structure with no extra weight. The wine is still super youthful and it could use a bit more age, but it is eminently enjoyable already now - I actually enjoyed this wine a bit more than the higher-tier bottling Ergeron. Terrific value at 22€.
(92 points)

2022 Domaine Vendome Crozes-Hermitage Ergeron - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage (27.4.2025)
100% organically farmed Syrah from vineyards in Larnage and Erôme. Fermented and aged for 6 months in concrete tanks, followed by 1 year in old 500-liter demi-muids.

Slightly translucent black cherry color. The nose feels fragrant and rather fruit-driven with juicy aromas of blueberries and boysenberries, some floral notes of violets, light plummy tones, a little bit of licorice root, a brambly hint of fresh blackberry and a ferrous touch of blood. The wine feels clean, lively and somewhat concentrated with a moderately full body and savory flavors of ripe blackberries and boysenberries, some licorice tones, a little bit of savory wood spice, light floral nuances of violets, a hint of bilberries and a faint grappa-like touch of fusel alcohol. The overall feel is balanced and enjoyably structured with the high acidity and firm medium tannins. The finish is dry, long and gently grippy with a juicy aftertaste of blueberries and dark plummy fruit, some floral notes of violets, a little bit of licorice root, light woody notes of savory oak spice, a ferrous hint of blood and a touch of ripe blackberry.

An attractive, harmonious and promising Crozes-Hermitage. I enjoyed the slightly lighter-bodied and more peppery entry-level Crozes-Hermitage Les Coulaires a bit more than this wine, that felt a bit fruitier with more obvious ripeness - but only marginally so. This cuvée still comes across as wonderfully fresh and balanced with terrific purity of fruit - which is not a given when it comes to contemporary Crozes-Hermitage! As the overall feel is very much on the youthful side, I can see the wine benefiting from at least a few years of additional aging, although it is pretty much open for business already now. Priced according to its quality at 32€.
(91 points)

2021 Domaine Vendome Cornas Baryte - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas (27.4.2025)
100% organically farmed Syrah from a 80-yo high-altitude vineyard in Cornas. Fully destemmed. Fermented and aged for a year in stainless steel. 13% alcohol.

Youthful and rather translucent dark ruby color. The nose feels clean but also somewhat closed with aromas of blackberries, a little bit of fresh blueberry, light skunky notes of flatulent reduction and a hint of licorice root. The wine feels clean, lively and quite crunchy on the palate with a medium body and dry flavors of brambly black raspberries and blueberries, some blackberry tones, a little bit of licorice root, light floral notes of violets, a hint of skunky reduction and a touch of tart red plum. The structure relies more on the pretty high acidity than on the light and supple tannins. The finish is juicy, crunchy and slightly grippy with a fresh, clean aftertaste of dark berries and fresh dark fruits, some tart cranberry tones, a little bit of reductive funk, light cranberry nuances and a hint of smoke.

An enjoyably fresh and delicate little Syrah that doesn't feel particularly Cornas - the overall feel is so light and supple that it feels more like a Crozes-Hermitage or just a simple IGP Syrah. If I were to open a bottle of Cornas, I expect something beefier than this. Of course it is partially due to the cool vintage that has resulted in the very fresh and crunchy style, but I guess it is partly due to the reductive élevage in stainless steel that makes the wine feel so simple and pedestrian. While the 2022 vintage showed more fruit and ripeness (I value freshness and acidity over fruit and ripeness), I preferred that vintage as it also came across as more Cornas in overall feel. I thought this was a balanced and enjoyable effort, but not really worth the money at 43€.
(89 points)

2022 Domaine Vendome Cornas Baryte - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas (27.4.2025)
100% organically farmed Syrah from a 80-yo high-altitude vineyard in Cornas. Fully destemmed. Fermented and aged for 6 months in stainless steel, then for another 12 months in old 600-liter demi-muids.

Quite opaque and rather youthful black cherry color. The nose feels brooding and dark-toned with somewhat fruit-forward aromas of dark plummy fruit and licorice root, some blackberry tones, a little bit of juicy black cherry, light woody notes of savory old oak, a spicy hint of cracked peppercorns and a reductive touch of rubber. The wine feels ripe, muscular and somewhat chewy on the palate with a moderately full body and somewhat sweetly-fruited flavors of ripe dark plums, some licorice tones, a little bit of stony minerality, light black raspberry nuances, a hint of rubbery reduction and a touch of brambly black raspberry. The wine its quite high in acidity with ample and moderately grippy tannins. The finish is youthful, dark-toned and moderately grippy with a long aftertaste of black cherries, some spicy notes of crushed black pepper, light blackberry tones, a little bit of fresh bilberry, a hint of woody oak spice and a touch of stony minerality.

A super-youthful but enjoyably firm and serious Cornas. Very textbook Northern Rhône Syrah by all accounts. Maybe a bit on the ripe side, but definitely not excessively so; despite the subtly sweet edge in the fruit department, the overall feel is very balanced, firm and moderately structure-driven. Due to its very youthful - but fortunately not over-primary - feel, I'd be happy to leave the wine in a cellar for another 4-6 years, or even more. Thoroughly enjoyable stuff with good upside. Priced according to its quality at 43€.
(91 points)

Domaine Le Vieux Mûrier
Another recommendation from the sommelier at restaurant Le Cerisier. This is a very young domaine, run by young Florian Buit, who studied vini- and viticulture in Beaune and completed his apprenticeship at Domaine Jean-Louis Chave. After finishing a vintage in Australia in 2018, Buit returned back to his family farm in Larnage, Crozes-Hermitage, where his family had farmed both fruit, and grapes that were sold to the Cave de Tain co-operative. He took over the viticultural side and instead of selling the fruit to the co-operative, he began making his own wine. To my understanding, Buit doesn’t have his own winery yet, so his wines are vinified and bottled at the JL Chave facilities. After his debut vintage in 2018, Buit has began converting the vineyards to organics, and the wines are vinified in a very minimum-interventionist style - apart from a tiny dosage of SO2. I must say, the red Crozes was quite the heavy hitter, showing tons of promise!

2023 Domaine Le Vieux Murier Crozes-Hermitage Le Jardin - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage (27.4.2025)
A blend of biodynamically farmed Marsanne (80%) and Roussanne (20%). Fermented partially in stainless steel, then racked into old 228-liter oak pièces. Aged for a year in oak.

Pale lemon-yellow color. The nose feels herby and floral with aromas of lavender, some pilsner-like noble hops, light juicy notes of ripe Golden delicious apple, light lemongrassy tones and a hint of jasmine. The wine feels ripe, round and oily on the palate with a full body and somewhat mild flavors of ripe apricot, some juicy Honeycrisp apple tones, a little bit of lemongrass, light spicy nuances, a hint of zesty citrus fruit and a touch of herby spice. The somewhat modest acidity makes the overall feel rather mellow and soft. The finish is ripe and round with a medium-long aftertaste of herby noble hops, some sweet-toned notes of apricot and juicy white peach, light floral nuances, a little bit of lemongrass and a hint of zesty citrus fruit.

A pleasant but somewhat soft and harmless white Crozes-Hermitage. Lacks freshness and tension - comes across as a classic, heavy and oily Northern Rhône white that is all about lush stone fruit and spicy florals with very little acidity or sense of structure. Drinkable, but is badly wanting for acidity. Not really my cuppa. Feels a bit pricey for the quality at 20€.
(85 points)

2023 Domaine Le Vieux Murier Crozes-Hermitage Les Saviaux - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage (27.4.2025)
100% biodynamically farmed Syrah from approximately 25-yo parcels in lieu-dit Les Saviaux in La Roche-de-Glun. Fruit mostly destemmed, only a tiny portion vinified in whole bunches. Aged for a year in oak barrels.

Moderately deep and dark yet quite translucent blackish ruby appearance. The nose feels clean, expressive and spicy with aromas of crushed black pepper and ripe blackberry, some brambly black raspberry notes, a little bit of sweet licorice, light smoky nuances, a hint of tobacco and a touch of licorice root. The wine feels clean, focused and crunchy on the palate with a medium body and intense, dry flavors of blackberries and crowberries, some tart lingonberry tones, a little bit of peppery spice, light ferrous notes of blood, a hint of fresh bilberry and a touch of gravelly minerality. The combination of high acidity and moderately grippy medium-plus tannins make the overall firm and even somewhat tightly-knit. The finish is fresh, long and somewhat grippy with an intense aftertaste of licorice and peppery spice, some ripe blackberry tones, a little bit of tart cranberry, light inky notes, a brambly hint of black raspberry and a touch of gravelly minerality.

A wonderfully clean, serious and structured Crozes-Hermitage with great sense of freshness, impressive structure and tons of pure Northern Rhône Syrah fruit. If you love the classic NRS notes of brambly blackberries, fresh bilberries and pronounced peppery tones, this is right up your alley! I know I loved this wine. Sure, it is still way too youthful and also pretty tightly-knit at the moment, but I'm sure it will continue to age, evolve and improve effortlessly over the next 10-15 years - expect the score to go up as the wine gets older. Easily among the best Crozes-Hermitage wines I've had in a while. Highly recommended. Superb value at 20€.
(93 points)

Otto_Forsberg · October 7, 2025, 3:50pm

Day 7, cont’d

Alright, part II of the Crozes-Hermitage wine fair tasting notes.

At this point the other members of our Finnish entourage decided that they had had enough wine for now and instead wanted to go to a nearby water park. Since I: a) hadn’t packed any swimming wear; b) was more interested in tasting wines than floating in a swimming pool like a semi-drunken beluga whale, burning myself in the sun, I told them to go and have fun and pick me up in three hours. They obliged and everyone was happy!

Anyway, on to the notes!

Domaine du Colombier

A relatively known producer, located in Mercurol, Crozes-Hermitage, east of the Hermitage hill. They used to be a fruit farm producing apricots and grapes, selling their grape harvest to the local négociants like Guigal and Ogier. However, when their contracts to the négociants expired in 1991, they started producing and bottling their own wine. Today the current owners, brothers Florent and David Viale, farm 17 hectares of vineyards, mainly in Crozes-Hermitage, but they also own 1,8 hectares of vineyards in the eastern lieux-dits of the Hermitage hill.

They eschew smaller oak barrels, favoring 600-liter demi-muids and concrete tanks. Pretty classically styled wines, these were easily among some of the best I tasted in the Crozes-Hermitage wine fair.

2023 Domaine du Colombier Crozes-Hermitage Blanc - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage (27.4.2025)
A blend of Marsanne (80-85%) and Roussanne (20-15%).

Pale yellow-green color. The nose feels ripe, rich and fruit-forward with somewhat sweetish aromas of peachy stone fruit, some juicy Golden Delicious apple, light creamy oak notes, a little bit of herby spice and a hint of stony minerality. The wine feels surprisingly fresh and precise on the palate (for a Crozes-Hermitage white, that is) with a medium body and dry flavors of crunchy white peach, some stony mineral notes, a little bit of zesty citrus fruit, light herby nuances and a hint of Golden Delicious apple. The high acidity lends nice sense of freshness and structure to the wine. The finish is fresh, dry and quite long with a bright aftertaste of crunchy apricot and white peach, some Golden Delicious apple tones, a little bit of creamy oak, light floral nuances and a hint of stony minerality.

A fresh, balanced and even relatively crunchy effort for a Northern Rhône white. Classic Marsanne/Roussanne aromatics, although the overall flavor profile here is more fruit-driven than floral or herby, and despite being somewhat ripe and fruit-forward, the wine is not lacking in acidity or sense of freshness. A very enjoyable and harmonious example of white Crozes-Hermitage that drinks very nicely now and probably can not just age, but also improve for at least a handful of years. I found this wine more balanced and just overall more enjoyable than the higher-tier Gaby cuvée. Good value at 20€.
(90 points)

2023 Domaine du Colombier Crozes-Hermitage Blanc Cuvée Gaby - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage (27.4.2025)
A blend of Marsanne (80-85%) and Roussanne (20-15%). Basically this is a barrel selection of the regular Crozes-Hermitage Blanc. The best barrels are aged for a bit longer and bottled separately under the Cuvée Gaby name.

Pale-to-medium deep yellow-green color. The nose feels ripe, youthful and quite fruit-driven with moderately sweet-toned aromas of peaches and apricots, some creamy oak, light spicy nuances, a little bit of crunchy red apple and a hint of herby spice. The wine feels broad, rich and somewhat balanced on the palate with a rather full body and bold flavors of apricots and wood spice, some creamy oak tones, a little bit of stony minerality, light sweet notes of ripe white peaches, a hint of zesty citrus fruit and a touch of apple jam. The medium-plus acidity keeps the wine somewhat structured, but a wine with this much breadth could use a bit more acidity. The finish is rich, juicy and rather ripe with a moderately long aftertaste of Golden Delicious apple and sweet white peach, some lemony citrus tones, a little bit of creamy oak, light woody nuances, a hint of floral spice and a touch of stony minerality.

You can immediately tell that this wine packs more fruit, ripeness and concentration than the regular Colombier Crozes-Hermitage Blanc. However, as the wine just seemed bigger and more concentrated with a somewhat sweeter fruit profile, but also even a bit less acidity, the overall feel was a bit too rich and round for my preference. I understand some people like Rhône whites because of their richness, breadth and sense of substance, and I can imagine this wine might really speak to those people, but as I prefer wines with sense of structure and freshness, this comes across as bigger, less fresh and not as enjoyable as the regular Colombier Crozes-Hermitage Blanc. Maybe a tad pricey for the quality at 30€.
(88 points)

2023 Domaine du Colombier Crozes-Hermitage Cuvée Primavera - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage (27.4.2025)
The entry-level Crozes-Hermitage of the domaine. 100% Syrah, vinified exclusively in concrete.

Dark yet quite translucent black cherry color. The nose feels youthful and also rather primary with quite candied aromas of raspberry jellies and cherry marmalade, some strawberry notes, a little bit of dark grapey fruit, light blueberry juicy nuances and a hint of peppery spice. The wine feels firm, fresh and very youthful on the palate with a medium body and clean flavors of fresh cranberries and blackberries, some candied primary flavors of raspberry jellies, a little bit of stony minerality, light cherry marmalade nuances and a hint of tart lingonberry. The wine is high in acidity with moderately grippy medium tannins. The finish is long, crunchy and somewhat grippy with a dry aftertaste of blackberries, some tart cranberries, light primary notes of raspberry jellies and cocktail cherries, a little bit of peppery spice and a hint of stony minerality.

A nice and enjoyably structured but also very youthful and still pretty one-dimensional little Syrah. I enjoyed the fresh acidity and pretty firm tannins here, but the flavor profile is still quite dominated by the sweet, candied primary fruit flavors that overwhelm most of the finer nuances here. I can imagine this could turn into something much more interesting once the wine loses its candied primary qualities, but at the moment the wine left a rather lukewarm impression. However, the firm structure and good fruit intensity do promise good potential in regard to short-to-medium-term aging. Although not a big or impressive Syrah in any way, I think there's some upside to this wine and it is priced pretty reasonably at 15€.
(87 points)

2023 Domaine du Colombier Crozes-Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage (27.4.2025)
100% Syrah. Aged for 9-14 months (depending on the source) in oak foudres and demi-muids.

Dark yet somewhat translucent dark ruby color. The nose feels clean and quite youthful with vibrant aromas of ripe blackberries and fresh dark forest fruits, some peppery spice, light licorice tones and a bright hint of ripe red cherry. The wine feels ripe, clean and juicy on the palate with a medium body and bright flavors of black raspberries, some sour cherries, light peppery tones, a little bit of ripe blackberry and a hint of fresh plummy fruit. The wine is rather high in acidity with moderately grippy medium-plus tannins. The finish is clean, juicy and somewhat grippy with a rather long aftertaste of sweet dark berries, some fresh bilberries, light dark plummy tones, a little bit of peppery spice and a hint of brambly blackberry.

A nice, balanced and crunchy Crozes-Hermitage. Still very youthful and not particularly complex, but does show good sense of firmness and structure - which is not a given with this appellation, especially with these modern and often rather warm vintages. Good stuff that is a quite big leap in quality from the entry-level cuvée Primavera. Starting to drink quite nicely now, but I expect the wine to evolve and improve for a number of years more. Solid value at 20€.
(90 points)

2022 Domaine du Colombier Crozes-Hermitage Cuvée Gaby - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage (27.4.2025)
100% Syrah from +50 yo vineyards in Mercurol. About half of the fruit is destemmed. Fermented and macerated with the skins for 3 to 4 weeks. This is a selection of the best lots aged in predominantly old 600-liter demi-muids.

Quite dark and rather opaque black cherry color. The nose feels surprisingly meaty and rustic with aromas of licorice root and ripe blackberries, some loose pouch tobacco, a little bit of bretty leather, light woody nuances, oxidative hints of game and meat stew and a touch of wizened dark fruits. The wine feels firm, stern and quite muscular on the palate with a medium body and intense flavors of blackberries, some wizened dark plums, a little bit of ferrous blood, light floral nuances of violets, bretty hints of leathery funk and phenolic spice and an oxidative touch of meat stew. The wine is high in acidity with assertive, grippy tannins. The finish is dry, grippy and crunchy with an intense aftertaste of ripe blackberries, some funky notes of saddle leather, light gravelly mineral notes, a little bit of tart lingonberry, a sweeter hint of wizened dark fruits and an oxidative touch of beef jerky.

This was a weird experience. After many very clean and youthful Colombier wines, this was not only atypically funky and bretty, but also showing quite a bit of oxidative character as well - something I didn't expect to see in a wine only a few years old! Even then, this was still a surprisingly impressive wine - despite the evolved qualities, it showed great intensity, depth of flavor and impressive sense of structure. I'd love to think the wine was just an off bottle, or one kept open for too long, but as the wine was poured by the Viales of Colombier at a crowded wine fair, it sounds a bit improbable. Good stuff in its own way, but I'm having trouble coming to terms with the wine as I don't know if it was really supposed to be like this or not. Priced somewhat according to its quality at 30€, I guess.
(91 points)

2022 Domaine du Colombier Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage (27.4.2025)
100% Syrah from the lieux-dits Beaumes, Diognières La Croix and Torras et les Garennes, where the average vine age is approximately 60 yo. Fermented and macerated with the skins for 25 to 30 days. Aged for 18 months in 600-liter demi-muids (approximately 1/3 new). 13,5% alcohol.

Slightly translucent and still pretty youthful black cherry color. The nose feels ripe, clean and fragrant with nuanced aromas of blueberries and sweet boysenberries, some juicy black cherries, light floral notes of violets, a little bit of peppery spice, a savory hint of meaty character and a touch of fresh blackberry. The wine feels ripe, clean and juicy on the palate with a rather full body and intense flavors of ripe blackberries and black cherries, some blueberry tones, light gravelly mineral notes, a little bit of crunchy crowberry, a hint of peppery spice and a woody hint of savory oak. The overall feel is firm and quite muscular, thanks to the rather high acidity and moderately grippy tannins. The finish is long, clean and quite grippy with a dark-toned and rather intensely flavored aftertaste of dark plummy fruit, some ripe blackberry tones, a little bit of juicy bilberry, light floral nuances, a woody hint of savory oak spice and a touch of tart cranberry.

An impressive, balanced and rather powerful Hermitage that shows a good amount of structure and flavor intensity. The wine is still very youthful and thus relatively fruit-driven, but there's definitely some sense of nuance and the wine never comes across as too primary or candied in character. A terrific effort by all accounts that can be drunk already now, but seeing how the wine is more about aging potential than immediate reward, I'd let the wine age for another decade or so. Priced more or less according to its quality at 60€.
(93 points)

Domaine Les Bruyères

Domaine Les Bruyères was created in 1955 in Beaumont-Monteaux, the southeastern corner of Crozes-Hermitage, when Georges Reynaud planted some vines around his home village. However, the Reynauds sold their crop to the local co-operative until 2002, when David Reynaud, the founder’s grandson took the reins. They began converting to organics in 2003 and to biodynamics in 2005.

Today they are among some of the oldest and most pre-eminent producers of natural wine in Crozes-Hermitage, if not in the whole Northern Rhône. I had tasted some of their wines before and was happy to check out them again after some while. I did enjoy the characterful, somewhat funky style of the wines, but virtually all of them seemed to suffer from somewhat modest levels of acidity, coming across as quite soft compared to many other wines I tasted during the Crozes-Hermitage wine fair.

2024 Domaine Les Bruyères Crozes-Hermitage Beaumont Blanc - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage (27.4.2025)
A blend of biodynamically farmed Marsanne (70%) and Roussanne (30%). Fermented and aged in old oak barrels.

Pale yellow-green color. The nose feels youthful and quite straightforward with somewhat primary and slightly wild aromas of lemon-scented hand soap, some herby tones, a little bit of lemongrass, light appley nuances and a hint of waxy funk. The wine feels youthful, a bit soft and slightly wild on the palate with a full body and moderately ripe flavors of herby spice, some juicy Golden Delicious apple tones, light creamy oak notes, a little bit of waxy funk and a tiniest hint of vaguely tannic phenolics. The medium-to-moderately high acidity feels a bit modest for such a big-bodied wine. The finish is rich, juicy and somewhat sweet-toned with a moderately long aftertaste of Golden Delicious apple, some herby tones, a little bit of fresh peachy fruit, light creamy oak notes, a hint of waxy funk and a floral touch of chamomile.

A pleasant but also quite rich and soft Rhône white from the wilder end of the spectrum. I didn't mind the funk, but the overall feel was still a bit too youthful and primary, making the wine come across as a bit simple. Furthermore, it really could use some more acidity. Not bad value for money at 15€, but I'd rather buy something lighter and higher in acidity.
(86 points)

2024 Domaine Les Bruyères Crozes-Hermitage Beaumont - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage (27.4.2025)
100% biodynamically farmed Syrah. The fruit is fully destemmed. Fermented, macerated with the skins for 2 to 3 weeks and aged in concrete tanks.

Somewhat translucent black ruby color. The nose feels extremely Syrah with aromas of cracked peppercorns and some smoky reductive notes, a little bit of fresh bilberry and juicy blackberry, light crunchy lingonberry tones, a sauvage hint of something funky and a skunky hint of farty reduction. The wine feels ripe, pretty clean and a bit round on the palate with flavors of ripe blackberries and juicy cherries, some crunchy notes of red plums, a little bit of tart lingonberry, light peppery tones, a hint of phenolic spice and a faint touch of leathery funk. The overall feel is somewhat soft as the medium acidity doesn't bring much freshness nor do the ripe medium tannins lend much firmness to the palate. The finish is juicy, gently grippy and quite clean with a moderately long and somewhat sweetly-fruited aftertaste of blueberries and blackberries, some peppery tones, a little bit of fresh cherry, light smoky notes of phenolic spice and a faint hint of leathery funk.

A pleasant little Syrah that is relatively clean for a Les Bruyères wine - these can get quite funky and volatile, but this wine just had a tiny bit of phenolic spice and leathery funk in the background, coming across as rather "normal". I loved the classically styled, noticeably peppery nose here, but on the palate the wine came across as way softer than I expected. The wine itself doesn't - luckily - come across as too ripe, but the overall feel is still somewhat sweeter-fruited and more mellow than I'd like, as the wine is lacking a bit in acidity and the tannins feel pretty ripe and understated. I guess this might be a more successful wine in cooler vintages, because the round overall feel didn't really win me over this time. However, at 15€ the wine priced pretty much according to its quality.
(87 points)

2022 Domaine Les Bruyères Crozes-Hermitage Georges - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage (27.4.2025)
100% biodynamically farmed Syrah from vines that are 20-30 years old in average. The fruit is fully destemmed. Fermented and macerated with the skins for 4 to 5 weeks. Aged in old oak barriques (50%) and concrete tanks (50%) for 12 months.

Youthful, slightly translucent blackish-red color. The nose feels dark-toned and rather sweet-toned with aromas of blackberries, some licorice, light smoky tones, a little bit of pipe tobacco, a woody hint of savory oak spice and a primary touch of cherry marmalade. The wine feels ripe, juicy and a bit soft on the palate with a full body and slightly lifted flavors of sweet dark fruits, some ferrous notes of blood, a little bit of salinity, light licorice tones, a hint of sauvage funk and a volatile touch of acetic tang. The medium-plus acidity is a bit on the modest side and the structure relies mostly on the firm and moderately grippy tannins. The finish is juicy, sweet-toned and a bit funky with a crunchy aftertaste of sweet black cherries, some ripe blackberries, a little bit of tobacco, light ferrous notes of blood, an acetic hint of tangy VA and a touch of phenolic spice.

A slightly wild and a bit acetic Crozes-Hermitage with quite a bit of fruit and substance. Although the wine shows a bit of funk and VA, neither get too prominent at any point and the emphasis stays on the vibrant, somewhat sweet-toned fruit. The biggest problem here is the somewhat modest acidity - the wine could really use a bit more freshness and intensity from higher acidity. Well, at least it packs enough tannic grip that lends some nice sense of firmness to the palate, keeping the wine from coming across as flabby. This is a decent effort, but I would've liked it to show more acidity and less volatile acidity. Priced according to its quality at 20€.
(89 points)

2022 Domaine Les Bruyères Crozes-Hermitage Vieilles Vignes Les Croix - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage (27.4.2025)
100% biodynamically farmed Syrah from +60 yo vines. The fruit is fully destemmed. Fermented and macerated with the skins for 4 to 5 weeks in concrete tanks. Aged in old oak barriques for 12 months and then in concrete tanks for another 6 months.

Youthful, moderately opaque black cherry color. The nose feels cool, expressive and somewhat savory with aromas of brambly blackberries, some spicy notes of cracked peppercorns, a little bit of licorice root, light blueberry tones, a hint of farmhouse funk and a touch of phenolic smoke. The wine feels ripe, somewhat angular and a bit wild on the palate with a full body and slightly sweetly-fruited flavors of juicy raspberries and blackberries, some crunchy red plums, light balsamic notes of VA, a little bit of tart crowberry, a hint of fresh bilberry and a touch of peppery spice. The medium-to-moderately high acidity brings some sense of structure to the overall feel, but the level of acidity still feels a bit modest for such a big, ripe wine. Fortunately the assertive, grippy tannins bring enough sense of firmness to the palate. The finish is crunchy, grippy and moderately wild with a long aftertaste of tart lingonberry, some phenolic spice, light crowberry notes, a little bit of peppery spice, juicy hints of ripe blueberries and blackberries and a lifted touch of acetic VA.

Of the Les Bruyères wines we tasted, this was definitely the most impressive one - and it did pack quite serious punch, coming across as more like a Hermitage than a "mere" Crozes-Hermitage with its beefy body and impressive old-vine concentration. However, as it seemed to be the case with all the Les Bruyères wines, also this was lacking a bit in acidity, making the overall feel a bit soft and lacking some freshness. Fortunately the wine did nevertheless show impressive sense of structure with its firm tannic frame, so it didn't feel flabby at any point. This was a good and pretty impressive effort for a naturalist Crozes-Hermitage with quite a bit of aging potential, but it could've been so much better had it shown a bit more energy and poise with higher levels of acidity. Priced more or less according to its quality at 30€.
(90 points)

Domaine Belle

This domaine has been growing vines in Larnage, Crozes-Hermitage since 1769, when the family was granted some land for farming. 'Louis Belle*, the grandfather of the current owner, Philippe Belle, loved farming vines, so he acquired some prime land in Larnage and Tain (ie. Hermitage) for farming. However, he didn’t care much about making wine, so in 1933 he became one of the founding growers of the local co-operative, Cave de Tain.

Louis’s son, Albert Belle, carried on farming, but he also loved making wine for himself and his friends. In 1990, encouraged by his son Philippe, they left the co-operative and founded Domaine Belle. Albert Belle retired in 2003, leaving the domaine for his son - who, in turn, runs it together with his two sons, Guillaume and Valentin. Under Albert’s rein, the domaine has grown to 25 hectares, reduced their use of new oak and converted to organic farming.

Since we had acquired our free tickets to the fair through Domaine Belle, I felt obligated to go say hello to them and check out the wines. However, I must say that most of their wines were not really up my alley - especially as I went up in the prestige, the wines exhibited way more oak than I prefer. Furthermore, most of the wines were a bit softer, sweeter and more ripe than I’d like. The best wines were pretty good - I’ve always enjoyed the entry-level cuvée Les Pierrelles - but here the “best wines” didn’t really equate to “the most expensive wines”.

2023 Domaine Belle Crozes-Hermitage Les Terres Blanches - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage (27.4.2025)
A blend of organically farmed Marsanne (70%) and Roussanne (30%) from vineyards in Larnage, directly north from the Hermitage hill. Fermented and aged in oak demi-muids and concrete egg-shaped tanks for 11 months.

Pale lemon-yellow color. The nose feels fresh, herby and a bit green-toned with aromas of lemon-scented hand soap, some peachy tones, a little bit of peppermint, light honeyed nuances and a hint of hoppy herbal character. The wine feels ripe, oily and a bit concentrated on the palate with a rather full body and slightly sweet-toned flavors of juicy apricot, some herbal spice, a little bit of creamy oak, light apple jam tones, a woody hint of savory oak spice and a touch of minty greenness. The medium-to-moderately high acidity keeps the overall feel quite balanced. The finish is juicy, ripe and round with a somewhat sweet-toned aftertaste of apricots and honeyed richness, some floral tones, a little bit of creamy oak, light stony mineral notes, a hint of applesauce and a touch of chopped green herbs.

A surprisingly ripe and concentrated effort for a white entry-level Crozes-Hermitage. With this big body and this much ripeness, I'd say the wine could use a lot more acidity, but as the overall feel manages to stay quite balanced, I guess the wine manages to pull this whole thing off with some success. I'd like the wine to show a bit less sweet-toned fruit profile and a bit more acidity, but I'm nevertheless quite happy how it is - and I enjoyed the wine more than their higher Roche Blanche, which was too oily and oaky for my preference. At 23€, this is a good buy.
(90 points)

2023 Domaine Belle Crozes-Hermitage Roche Blanche - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage (27.4.2025)
100% organically farmed Marsanne from a +80 yo vineyard in Larnage. Fermented and aged in oak barrels (typically 1/4 new, 1/2 once used and 1/4 twice used) for 12 months.

Pale lemon-yellow color. The nose feels rich, sweet-toned and rather oaky with aromas of caramel and woody notes of sawdust, some ripe pineapple tones, a little bit of cooked cream, light floral nuances and a hint of sweet nectarine. The wine feels concentrated, quite substantial and rather oily on the palate with a full body and rich flavors of ripe Fuji apple and woody notes of sawdust, some buttery tones, a little bit of white peach, light stony mineral notes, a hint of floral spice and an oaky touch of vanilla. The soft medium acidity feels too modest for such a big and ripe wine. The finish is rich, soft and quite sweet-toned with a moderately long aftertaste of caramel and vanilla oak, some cooked cream tones, a little bit of ripe nectarine and apricot, light woody notes of sawdust, a hint of floral spice and a touch of ripe apple.

This was a surprisingly big and substantial wine for a white Crozes-Hermitage, but stylistically not really up my alley - the wine was just way too oaky and low in acidity for my preference. I can imagine a producer might want to highlight the old vine concentration by making the wine as big and impactful as possible, but to me, the wine was just clumsy and not particularly enjoyable to drink. I preferred the somewhat lighter and a bit more balanced entry-level Crozes-Hermitage Terres Blanches over this "premium" take on white Crozes-Hermitage. Feels way too expensive for the quality at 36€.
(87 points)

2023 Domaine Belle Hermitage Blanc - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage (27.4.2025)
A blend of organically farmed Marsanne (60%) and Roussanne (40%) from lieu-dit Peleas (Péléat?). Fermented and aged in oak barrels (75% new, 25% once used) for 20 months.

Pale yellow-green color. The nose feels very youthful and sweet-toned with fine-tuned aromas of white peach, some pear drops, light leesy tones, a little bit of vanilla, sweet hints of toasty oak and sawdusty wood spice and a touch of sweet herbs and flowers. The wine feels youthful, ripe and slightly oily on the palate with a full body and youthful flavors of white peach, some creamy oak tones, a little bit of apple jam, light notes of vanilla, a hint of herbal spice and candied primary touch of pear drops. The moderately high acidity lends some sense of balance and structure to the wine. The finish is long, juicy and pretty fresh with a vibrant aftertaste of sweet white peach, some creamy oak tones, a little bit of vanilla, woody hints of sawdust and a touch of apple jam.

A big and ripe but also quite balanced white Hermitage that suffers a bit from excessive use of oak. There's just quite a bit of woody sawdust notes and vanilla that obfuscate the finer nuances and turn the fruit flavors rather sweet and heavy. However, compared to the white Crozes-Hermitage wines of Domaine Belle, this wine packs a bit more freshness and acidity, making the overall feel somewhat more balanced and structured despite the rather full body of the wine and noticeable ripeness of its fruit. I guess the oakier tones will subside with enough aging, but I still feel this is going to remain a rather burly and modern Rhône white, no matter how long it is aged. While not a bad wine in any way, I was not a big fan of its rather oak-forward aromatics. Feels quite expensive for the quality at 65€.
(90 points)

2023 Domaine Belle Crozes-Hermitage Les Pierrelles - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage (27.4.2025)
100% organically farmed Syrah sourced from several vineyards in Crozes-Hermitage. The grapes are destemmed completely, then fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts and macerated with the skins for three weeks in stainless steel tanks. Aged for 14 months in 2-5 yo oak barrels.

Dark yet moderately translucent ruby-red color. The nose feels clean and savory with aromas of gravelly earth and licorice root, some brambly raspberry tones, a little bit peppery spice, light notes of blackberry and a hint of fresh red cherry. The wine feels ripe, clean and a bit round on the palate with bright flavors of raspberries and juicy cherries, some gravelly mineral tones, a little bit of brambly blackberry, light woody notes of savory oak spice and a hint of licorice. The wine is moderately high in acidity with supple medium tannins. The finish is dry, juicy and somewhat grippy with a moderately long aftertaste of blackberries, some licorice notes, a little bit of gravelly minerality, light brambly raspberry tones, a hint of tobacco and a woody touch of savory oak.

A nice, balanced and youthful Crozes-Hermitage. Nice purity of fruit and good, harmonious overall feel with no thrills or frills. There's nothing that would get excited, but there's nothing amiss here, either. A solid, enjoyable and varietally correct Syrah. Priced more or less according to its quality at 23€.
(90 points)

2022 Domaine Belle Crozes-Hermitage Cuvée Louis Belle - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage (27.4.2025)
100% organically farmed Syrah sourced from several vineyards in Crozes-Hermitage. The grapes are partially destemmed, then fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts and macerated with the skins for four weeks in stainless steel tanks. Aged for 18 months in oak barrels (15% new, 40% once used, 45% twice used).

Somewhat translucent and quite deep dark ruby color. The nose feels rather sweet and dark-toned with aromas of licorice, some sweet toasty oak tones, a little bit of ripe blackberry, light blueberry notes, a hint of cracked black pepper and a touch of mocha. The wine feels juicy, ripe and rather bold on the palate with a moderately full body and dark-toned flavors of licorice and sweet blackberry, some toasty notes of mocha oak, a little bit of dark plummy fruit, light peppery tones, a woody hint of savory oak spice and a touch of blueberry juice. The combination of rather high acidity and somewhat grippy medium-plus tannins keep the overall feel pretty firm and enjoyably structured. The finish is juicy, long and somewhat grippy with a slightly sweetly-fruited aftertaste of licorice and ripe blackberries, some plummy tones, a little bit of toasty mocha oak, light spicy nuances of crushed black pepper, a hint of sweet black cherry and a touch of brambly black raspberry.

Tasting this after the entry-level Crozes-Hermitage, Les Pierrelles, I sort of liked the combination of more pronounced flavor intensity and more tightly-knit structure here. However, at the same time the fruit profile showed quite a bit more ripeness, and - consequently - somewhat sweeter overall fruit profile. This was further accentuated by the much more pronounced oak impact, which introduced a sweeter, toasty element of chocolatey mocha oak to the fruit flavors. All these things were qualities I didn't really enjoy that much. So all in all, while the wine was more impressive with its burly body, firm structure and more intense flavors, I didn't enjoy this wine as much as the entry-level Crozes-Hermitage. I guess there's more aging potential here, however, so maybe after another 10-12 years the wine might've lost enough of its oaky tones to come across as more balanced Syrah with less of that sweet, toasty oak sheen? Maybe? One can hope. Maybe a bit pricey for the quality at 32€.
(88 points)

2022 Domaine Belle Crozes-Hermitage Roche Pierre - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage (27.4.2025)
100% organically farmed Syrah sourced an 80 yo vineyard in Crozes-Hermitage. The grapes are partially destemmed, then fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts and macerated with the skins for four weeks in stainless steel tanks. Aged for 20 months in oak barrels (1/3% new, 1/3% once used, 1/3% twice used).

Dark, slightly translucent purplish-black color. The nose feels fresh, youthful and fruit-driven with aromas of crunchy bilberries and ripe boysenberries, some plummy tones, a little bit of sweet toasty oak, light floral notes of violets, a hint of licorice root and a touch of brambly blackberry. The wine feels dry, firm and balanced on the palate with a rather full body and intense flavors of ripe blackberries and boysenberries, some licorice root tones, a little bit of toasty oak spice, light savory notes of meaty umami, a hint of peppery spice and a touch of vanilla. The overall feel is pretty firm and muscular with the rather high acidity and ample, moderately grippy tannins. The finish is long, dark-toned and somewhat grippy with a rather intense aftertaste of licorice root and ripe blackberry, some woody notes of savory oak, light meaty tones, a little bit of sweeter toasty oak spice, a hint of boysenberry and a touch of peppery spice.

A youthful and balanced Crozes-Hermitage that is punching a bit above its weight - this is one of those wines that could be viewed as a baby Hermitage rather than a simple countryside Northern Rhône Syrah that so much of Crozes-Hermitage actually is. I was actually surprised that this wine seemed less oaky than the lower-tier Crozes-Hermitage, Cuvée Louis Belle, which sees less new oak. Although showing some toasty oak tones, this wine carries its oak surprising well. Considering how the wine is still super youthful - and also packed with aging potential - I'm pretty sure it will integrate those toasty qualities with enough aging. Priced quite courageously at 48€, which is a bit steep for a Crozes-Hermitage - and I think is a bit pricey for the quality - but I guess the wine might actually turn out to be worth the money with enough aging. Probably the best cuvée in the Domaine Belle lineup.
(91 points)

2022 Domaine Belle St. Joseph Les Rivoires - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph (27.4.2025)
100% organically farmed Syrah from vineyards in Tournon, Saint Joseph. The grapes are partially destemmed, then fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts and macerated with the skins for four weeks in stainless steel tanks. Aged for 18 months in oak barrels (30-40% new, the remainder once, twice or thrice used barrels). 14% alcohol.

Deep, dark and quite opaque blackish-red color with a youthful purplish hue. The nose feels dark-toned, sweet and somewhat polished with aromas of sweet black cherries and dark plummy fruit, some chocolatey oak sheen, a little bit of licorice, light sweet notes of toasty oak spice, a hint of peppery spice, a touch of vanilla and a whiff of pipe tobacco. The wine feels ripe, juicy and somewhat extracted on the palate with a full body and bold flavors of black cherries and dark plummy fruit, some toasty oak tones, a little bit of milk chocolate, light vanilla tones, a hint of boysenberry and a touch of freshly baked licorice. The gentle medium acidity and ripe, supple medium-minus tannins don't lend much sense of structure to the wine. The finish is sweet, slightly warm and gently grippy with a long, rich aftertaste of juicy dark plums and boysenberries, some toasty notes of chocolatey mocha oak, light vanilla tones, a little bit of blackberry marmalade and a hint of licorice.

Ugh, this was quite a disaster. Typically Saint Joseph wines are very much up my alley, but this didn't have any St. Joe typicity - the wine was just soft, sweetly-fruited and heavily oaked blockbuster Syrah with way too much ripeness and no sense of structure to speak of. I noticed Domaine Belle uses more new oak than I prefer, but normally their wines still come across as pretty balanced and quite enjoyable - this did not. The wine is full of lush, ripe fruit - yet it doesn't have enough body or flavor intensity to carry that much new oak and the wine tastes more like chocolate milkshake. Now add in way too little acidity and tannic structure, and the wine just comes across as sweet, flabby and rather shapeless. A big disappointment and a rip-off at 45€.
(82 points)

2022 Domaine Belle Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage (27.4.2025)
100% organically farmed Syrah from lieu-dit Les Murets. The grapes are vinified in whole bunches, fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts and macerated with the skins for five weeks in stainless steel tanks. Aged for 26 months in oak barrels (50% new, 50 % once used). 14% alcohol.

Rather dense and moderately opaque black cherry color. The nose feels rather smoky with a somewhat roasted overall quality along with aromas of juicy dark fruits, some woody tones, a little bit of charred bacon, light gravelly mineral tones, a toasty hint of mocha oak and a touch of ripe blueberry. The wine feels ripe, quite voluminous and somewhat sweetly-fruited on the palate with a full body and bold flavors of juicy blackberries and strawberries, some licorice tones, a little bit of toasty oak spice, light blueberry nuances, a woody hint of savory oak and a touch of stony minerality. The overall feel is pretty stern and muscular with the rather high acidity and ample, assertive and quite grippy tannins. the finish is big, powerful and rather tannic with a long, dark-toned aftertaste of licorice and blackberries, some dark plummy tones, a little bit of toasty mocha oak, light strawberry nuances, a smoky hint of charred bacon and a touch of vanilla.

A big, powerful and quite muscular Hermitage with quite a bit of oak. Too much for my preference. The wine is impressively structured and intensely flavored for sure, but as the emphasis is heavily on the toasty, chocolatey oak tones and vanilla, I find it hard to get particularly excited about the wine. I guess this is a great for people who don't mind heavy-handed oak treatment, but I prefer wines that emphasize the purity of the fruit. I hope the oaky qualities will recede as the wine ages, but seeing how heavily oaked the wine is, I doubt even 15 years is going to be enough for this kind of blockbuster. I find the wine quite overpriced for the quality at 85€.
(89 points)

Otto_Forsberg · October 9, 2025, 10:01am

Day 7 cont’d

Alright, time for the part three of the Crozes-Hermitage wine fair tasting notes!

Domaine Delhome

Another one of those domaines recommended by the sommelier at restaurant Le Cerisier. Another success. All the three recommendations he gave us were solid - these were terrific, beautifully crafted wines with great sense of place.

The Delhome family has farmed grapes in Larnage, Crozes-Hermitage for five generations, since the early 1900’s. However, they’ve been a member of the Cave de Tain co-operative throughout their history and only in 2019 did they build their own winery and began producing their own wine. The domaine is run by Gérard Delhome, who took over in 1993, and his son Romaine, who joined the family business in 2018. They farm their 16 hectares - all of which are located in the hilly northern part of the appellation - organically and their style is quite traditional, emphasizing freshness, minimal intervention and very judicious use of oak.

2023 Domaine Delhome Crozes-Hermitage Loess Blanc - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage (27.4.2025)
100% organically farmed Marsanne. Fermented spontaneously, partial MLF, aged in oak barrels (75%) and stainless steel tanks (25%) for 12 months.

Medium-deep yellow-green color. The nose is a bit closed and understated for a Marsanne, yet pleasantly fragrant with aromas of ripe Golden Delicious apple, some floral notes of chamomile, light cantaloupe tones and a hint of creaminess. The wine feels fresh, ripe and a bit sweetly-fruited on the palate with a medium body and harmonious flavors of herby spice, some Golden Delicious apple, a little bit of cantaloupe, light creamy oak tones, a hint of juicy white peach and a touch of stony minerality. The moderately high acidity lends good sense of balance and structure to the wine. The finish is ripe, sweet-toned and rather long with a harmonious aftertaste of cantaloupe, some white peach, light Golden Delicious apple tones, a little bit of leesy character, floral hints of chamomile and a touch of creamy oak.

A nice, balanced and enjoyably fresh take on Northern Rhône white; this is not a heavy, fat and flabby white with too much body and too little acidity. Furthermore, even if Marsanne is known to soak up oak flavors quite readily and the wine is aged mostly in oak barrels, the wine shows very little oak impact, emphasizing the bright and nuanced Marsanne flavors instead. A very stylish and enjoyably serious effort. Good value at 17€. Recommended.
(91 points)

2023 Domaine Delhome Crozes-Hermitage Mozaic - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage (27.4.2025)
100% organically farmed Syrah from vineyards averaging 35 years in age. The grapes are fully destemmed. Fermented spontaneously, macerated with the skins for 20 days. Aged for 7 months in stainless steel tanks. 13% alcohol.

Pale, translucent ruby-red color. The nose feels clean and youthful with aromas of brambly raspberries, some reductive notes of gunpowder smoke, a little bit of ripe red cherry, light skunky notes of flatulent reduction, a hint of juicy blackberry and a touch of peppery spice. The wine feels juicy, clean and a bit round on the palate with a moderately full body and youthful and and somewhat linear yet quite intense flavors of ripe raspberries, some stony mineral notes, a little bit of juicy blackberry and smoky hints of reduction. The medium-plus acidity is a bit on the soft side, but fortunately the moderately grippy tannins bring some welcome firmness to the palate. The finish is long, crunchy and pretty grippy with flavors of brambly raspberries, some peppery spice, a little bit of reductive gunpowder smoke, light stony mineral notes and a hint of flatulent reduction.

A nice, clean and super youthful Syrah that is fortunately not particularly primary, but instead shows quite a bit of reduction. The style is a bit simple and linear, and the wine could use a bit more acidity, but I do enjoy the impressive flavor intensity and nice, firm tannic grip here. I doubt this wine is going to turn into anything truly special with age, but I'm sure it will benefit from a few years of additional aging - just to get it lose those reductive qualities, if nothing else. Solid value at 16€.
(89 points)

2023 Domaine Delhome Crozes-Hermitage Boréal - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage (27.4.2025)
100% organically farmed Syrah from vineyards averaging 40 years in age. The grapes are fully destemmed. Fermented spontaneously, macerated with the skins for 20 to 25 days. Aged for 18 months in oak barrels ranging from 228-liter pièces to 600-liter demi-muids (65%) and stainless steel tanks (35%).

Youthful, deep and somewhat translucent black cherry color. The nose feels clean, cool and dark-toned with somewhat closed yet still attractive aromas of brambly blackberries and cracked peppercorns, some licorice root, a little bit of earth, light olive notes, a hint of cherry pits and a floral touch of elderflowers. The wine feels clean, firm and slightly extracted on the palate with a moderately full body and juicy flavors of ripe black raspberries and blackberries, some peppery tones, a little bit of smoky reduction, light elderberry juice notes, a hint of olive and a touch of gravelly minerality. The overall feel is firm and enjoyably structure-driven with the moderately high acidity and rather grippy medium-plus tannins. The finish is dry, firm and quite grippy with a long, intense aftertaste of blackberries, some gravelly mineral tones, a little bit of olive, light floral notes of violets and elderflowers, a spicy hint of cracked peppercorns and a touch of licorice root.

A youthful but still already very impressive and promising Syrah - easily among the best Crozes-Hermitage reds I tasted in the Crozes-Hermitage fair. The wine doesn't suffer from elevated ripeness or too modest levels of acidity - unlike many other Crozes-Hermitage wines I tasted - and the oak use feels very judicious here, letting the emphasis stay on the fresh, vibrant Syrah fruit. As the wine is still very youthful (and slightly reductive), I'm quite sure it is not showing its best today. However, the wine shows great promise and I'm quite sure it will turn out pretty darn lovely with some aging. A steal at 18€.
(93 points)

2023 Domaine Delhome Crozes-Hermitage Alt. 330 - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage (27.4.2025)
100% organically farmed old-vine Syrah from a 70-yo vineyard in Larnage. The grapes are fully destemmed. Fermented spontaneously, macerated with the skins for 20 days. Aged for 18 months in oak barrels ranging from 228-liter pièces to 600-liter demi-muids (15% new).

Luminous, almost fully opaque black cherry color. The nose feels ripe and slightly sweet-toned with intense aromas of juicy cherries, some sweet boysenberries, a little bit of licorice, light smoky reductive notes, a hint of fresh bilberry and a touch of brambly blackberry. The wine feels juicy, ripe and somewhat sweetly-fruited on the palate with a quite full body and bold flavors of cherries and blueberries, some blackberry tones, a little bit of dark plummy fruit, light stony mineral notes, a hint of sweet boysenberry and a touch of peppery spice. The wine is rather high in acidity with form, moderately grippy tannins. The finish is long, slightly sweet-toned and moderately grippy with a vibrant aftertaste of blueberries and dark plums, some brambly blackberry tones, a little bit of ripe boysenberry, light stony mineral notes, a hint of tobacco and a faint toasty touch of sweet oak spice.

A rich, vibrant and moderately voluminous yet still very balanced Crozes-Hermitage. It is obvious that this wine packs more punch, ripeness and substance than the lower-tier Boréal cuvée, and their sense of structure from the acidity and tannic point of view is pretty much the same, but I'd say I preferred the slightly drier, not as sweetly-fruited style more, as it exhibited better sense of freshness. However, I'm pretty sure that many will think the more concentrated and overt fruit here makes this the better wine. They're both great - and still way too young as well - that are very enjoyable now and will show even better with another 7-10 years of age on them. A terrific, expressive Crozes-Hermitage that is pretty good value at 26€.
(92 points)

Domaine Jolivet

I did not know a thing about this producer beforehand - I just walked past their stand, noticed that there were only two St. Josephs to taste, and decided to stop and check those out. I’m very glad I did! These wines turned out to be nothing short of stunning, and especially their regular St. Joe red was simply outstanding - it ended up being my wine of the whole fair.

As so many other local producers, also the Jolivet family sold their crop to the Cave de Tain co-operative. However, when Bastien Jolivet returned to the family domaine from his winery internships in 2014, he decided to bottle their production instead of selling it to the co-operative.

Under Bastien’s helm, the estate has expanded into 13 hectares, which are farmed organically. The nine hectares of St. Joseph vineyards are located in Saint-Jean-de-Muzol, the northernmost commune of the original Saint-Joseph appellation. Jolivet also farms additional four hectares of high-altitude vineyards in the nearby commune of Lemps, from which they produce their Vins de France labels. The wines are vinified according to a very hands-off philosophy, the reds are vinified mostly in whole bunches and the wines are aged in predominantly old oak pièces and demi-muids - the amount of new oak hovering between 0 and 10%, depending on whether any barrels need to be replaced or not.

2023 Domaine Jolivet St. Joseph Clef De Sol Blanc - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph (27.4.2025)
A blend of organically farmed Marsanne (95%) and Roussanne (5%) from vineyards planted in the 1960's, the 1970's and 2016. Fermented spontaneously in oak. Full MLF. Aged in old 228-liter oak pièces.

Yellow-green color. The nose feels fragrant and quite expressive with aromas of lemon-scented hand soap and aromatic herbs, some stony minerality, light appley tones, a little bit of ripe citrus frutis, a hint of cantaloupe, a primary touch of sweet pear and a whiff of honeyed richness. The wine feels ripe, balanced and harmonious on the palate with a moderately full body and vibrant flavors of white peach and sweet Mediterranean herbs, some cantaloupe, light floral notes of chamomile and acacia, a little bit of creamy oak, a hint of nutty old wood and a faint touch of apple peel bitterness. The moderately high acidity keeps the wine nicely in balance, supporting it with good sense of structure. The finish is juicy, rich and nuanced with a moderately long aftertaste of ripe white peach and cantaloupe, some floral spice, a little bit of honeyed richness, light bitter nuances of grapefruit, a hint of creamy oak and a touch of stony minerality.

A very classically styled textbook Northern Rhône white: the wine isn't a light or crisp white by any standards, but despite its richness and relatively big body, it shows good sense of balance and structure, thanks to its relatively high acidity and cool mineral core. The fruit feels ripe with a good sense of breadth along with those fragrant, herby and floral aromatics that are so true to Marsanne and Roussanne. A fine wine by any standards. It is drinking very nicely now, but I can see this evolving and improving for a good number of years more. Solid value at 24,50€. Recommended.
(92 points)

2023 Domaine Jolivet St. Joseph L'Instinct - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph (27.4.2025)
100% organically farmed Syrah from nine parcels in Saint-Jean-de-Muzols, planted in the 1960's, between 1997 and 2010, and in 2015. 10-15% of the grapes are destemmed, the majority are vinified in whole bunches. Fermented spontaneously, macerated with the skins for three weeks. Aged for 12 months in old 500-liter demi-muids. Bottled unfined and with a light filtration.

Quite opaque and rather deep blackish-red color with a faint purplish hue. The nose feels beautifully expressive with intense, fragrant aromas of cracked peppercorns and ripe boysenberries, some olive tones, a little bit of smoky reduction, light blueberry tones, brambly hints of raspberries and fresh blackberries and a meaty touch of charred bacon. The wine feels wonderfully crunchy, expressive and intensely flavored on the palate with a medium body and bright flavors of ripe blackberries, boysenberries and tart lingonberries, some tobacco notes, a little bit of peppery spice, light stemmy tones, a lifted hint of sweet VA and a touch of olive. The overall feel is remarkably fresh with the high acidity and ample, rather grippy tannins. The finish is crunchy, long and grippy with an intense aftertaste of ripe blackberries and tart lingonberries, some ferrous notes of blood, light stemmy notes of herbal greenness, a little bit of brambly raspberry, spicy hints of cracked peppercorns and a touch of olive.

This wine floored me. Having visited Domaine Gonon just a few days earlier, this wine was a dead ringer for a young Gonon. The freshness, the stemmy whole bunch notes, the firm tannic backbone, the textbook Syrah notes of olive and peppercorns - everything. This wine had honestly everything any Gonon fan would look for in a Saint Joe. I had never heard of the producer before, so I was definitely curious to check out how this St Joe I was unfamiliar with was going to be, but I was not prepared for it to be this awesome. I stopped everything and purchased two bottles immediately - something I usually never do. I really hope these bottles are going to be at least as awesome as this bottle I tasted at the Crozes-Hermitage wine fair. At just 23€, this was an outright steal. Very highly recommended.
(94 points)

J. Denuzière

While I was tasting the Jolivet wines, I received a message from our Finnish entourage that the guys were now leaving the water park and coming back to Mercurol to pick me up, so I finished the Jolivet wines and decided that I had time to check out one wine more before I had to leave - so I just selected one nearby stand of a producer I did not know beforehand and asked for a taste.

This producer - J. Denuzière - is a historical négociant that has its roots as a small wine distributor in Condrieu, founded back in 1876. They grew to be a moderately big négociant, but after a sale in 2000, the focus changed from négociant business to include also some estate wine production. They acquired some vineyards in Condrieu and Cornas, from which they produce their own wines today, while the fruit from Côte-Rôtie, Crozes-Hermitage, Hermitage and St. Joseph is purchased from contract growers.

2021 J. Denuzière Cornas - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas (27.4.2025)
100% Syrah from 20 to 32 yo vines farmed in the 1,2-hectare estate vineyard in lieu-dit En Sauman. Whole-bunch fermentation; first 5-7 days with semi-carbonic, then the grapes are stomped and the fermentation in finished conventionally. Aged in stainless steel tanks (60%) and old 228-liter oak pièces (40%) for 12 months.

Youthful, quite translucent blackish color with a subtly blueish hue. Aromas of peppery spice and gamey meat, some tobacco, light blackberry tones, a little bit of woody old oak, a hint of sun-baked rotie character and a ferrous touch of blood. The wine feels juicy and rather ripe yet still relatively airy on the palate with a medium body and somewhat sweet-toned flavors of raspberries and red plums, some stemmy herbal notes, a little bit of balsamic VA, light blackberry tones, a hint of gravelly minerality and a touch of meaty umami. The structure relies mostly on the high acidity, and the supple, gently grippy medium-minus tannins only bring a little bit of firmness to the palate. The finish is lively, crunchy and quite acid-driven with a moderately long aftertaste of stony minerality and tart lingonberry, some ferrous notes of blood, light brambly raspberry and blackberry tones, a hint of earth and a touch of fresh red plum.

A nice, fresh and playful Cornas - perhaps not that typical for the region, coming across more like a Crozes-Hermitage or a lighter-end Côte-Rôtie. You can easily taste the fingerprint of the cooler vintage in the surprisingly high acidity and the slightly herbal flavors verging on greenness; yet the fruit department packs a surprising amount of ripeness at the same time, sporting a slightly sweet edge in the fruit. Not the burliest or the most impressive Cornas out there, but a nice, fresh wine all the same. Priced somewhat according to its quality at 34€.
(91 points)