2014 Crozes Hermitage Les Varonniers
Market price
Buying options
Tasting notes
Bright violet. A highly perfumed bouquet evokes ripe red and dark berries, licorice pastilles, vanilla and incense and shows a bright mineral overtone. Juicy black raspberry and boysenberry flavors deepen and stretch out slowly with aeration while maintaining their energy. Shows a suave blend of richness and finesse, finishing very long, sappy and sweet; smooth tannins sneak in late.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Josh Raynolds
More reviews and scores
I always think of this cuvée as a mini-Hermitage (sometimes not so mini) and the 2014 Crozes Ermitage Les Varonniers has lots of crushed rock-like minerality (and a black powder/ozone character), as well as plenty of cassis and blackcurrant fruit, beautiful concentration and ripe tannin. It’s a classic, balanced effort to drink over the coming decade, as well.
Deep ruby. Vibrant aromas of black raspberry, cherry cola and violet, developing olive and cured tobacco nuances with air. Juicy, focused and subtly sweet, offering taut red and dark berry flavors that become deeper and spicier with air. The floral note comes back strongly on the finish, which features slow-building tannins and a touch of succulent herbs.
Cask sample. Granite and faces west. Probably next year we will see the wine of the east-facing 1 ha Crozes. Very dark crimson. Warm and lively with salty, stone-licking impression. Pretty austere at the moment. (JR)