Wine & Spirits - February 2020 - 23

oday, most of the appellation's vineyards are situated south of the Tainl'Hermitage, which is why most of
the négociant bottlings are also from
the south. Still, the south is home to
a number of talented producers, like
Yann Chave, Domaine Combier, Alain
Graillot, Gilles Robin and Domaine des
Remizières, to name a few. The fruit here grows on calcareous clay topped with river stones. It tends to get riper than
that from the northern vineyards and, unlike most producers in the north, most winemakers here destem their clusters, and small barrels are ubiquitous. The clearest way to
tell the difference in the soil, exposition and winemaking
is to drink a high-quality Crozes from Les Chassis next to
one from, say, Gervans.
Alain Graillot established his domaine in 1985 on the flat
plain between the Rhône and Isère rivers. He had gained
his winemaking chops at, of all places, Domaine d'Arlot, in
Burgundy, and developed a style for his southern Crozes
wines with the kind of whole-cluster fermentations more
typical of the north. His wines, now made by his sons, Maxime and Antoine, are spicy and exotically perfumed. Maxime also makes his own wines, at his Domaine des Lises
and for his Equis label. He destems the fruit for these, and
they are, unsurprisingly, more forward than those of his
father. That forward style is more typical of many of the
top wines from the southern districts of Crozes, where producers turn out opulent, even flamboyant, Rhône syrah.
New oak builds the richness of the wines from Domaine
des Remizières, while Domaine Combier's Crozes are also
modern, but show more restraint, as are those of Emmanuel Darnaud, Domaine Combier and Yann Chave. Delas
Frères, whose wines are on a rapid quality ascent, produces
two outstanding Crozes-Hermitages from the south and the
Le Clos cuvée is consistently a knockout.
Still, if you want to compare Crozes from the north and
south, the place to do it is at Jaboulet. The Jaboulet family
purchased the 148-acre Domaine de Thalabert in Les Chassis in 1834, and, following the firm's sale in 1996 to Jacques
Frey, the current rendition is drawn from the remaining
111 acres, which sit not far from Graillot's vines. This is a
substantial wine that rewards patience but, surprisingly, its
polished nature gives it enormous appeal at an early age:
the forward south vs. the structure and power of Jaboulet's
Domaine de Roure in Crozes-Crozes. n

NAMES TO KNOW IN CROZES-HERMITAGE NORD
Barruol Lynch
Maison Chapoutier (and Les Varonniers, which
includes some fruit from Les Chassis)
J.L. Chave Selection
Dard & Ribo
Domaine Belle
Domaine Fayolle Fils et Fille
Domaine Jean-Claude & Nicolas Fayolle
Ferraton Père & Fils
Paul Jaboulet Aîné Domaine de Roure
Domaine Rousset
Saint Cosme
M. Sorrel
Cave de Tain (except the Grand Classique and Hauts de Fief)
Famille Tardieu
NAMES TO KNOW IN CROZES-HERMITAGE SUD
Maison Les Alexandrins
Franck Balthazar Selections
Domaine Betton
Maison Chapoutier (except Les Varonniers)
Yann Chave
Domaine du Colombier
Domaine Combier
Domaine Courbis
Yves Cuilleron
Emmanuel Darnaud
Delas Frères
Domaine des Entrefaux
Alain Graillot
Paul Jaboulet Aîné Domaine de Thalabert
Philippe & Vincent Jaboulet
Domaine des Lises
Domaine Gilles Robin
Domaine des Remizières
Cave de Tain
Les Vins de Vienne
Domaine François Villard

TARDIEU-LAURENT (LEFT)
BASES ITS CROZESHERMITAGE ON FRUIT
GROWN IN THE GRANITE
SOILS OF THE NORTH,
WITH A PORTION OF
SOUTHERN FRUIT ADDED
FOR ROUNDNESS; DELAS
FRÈRES FARMS THE
DOMAINE DES GRANDS
CHEMINS, ON ALLUVIAL
SOILS IN LES CHASSIS.

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FEBRUARY 2020

Wine & Spirits - February 2020

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