2015 Ferraton Père & Fils Crozes-Ermitage Le Grand Courtil
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Tasting notes
Brilliant ruby. A highly perfumed bouquet evokes fresh black and blue fruits, smoky bacon, olive and violet. Sappy, appealingly sweet blueberry, cassis and spicecake flavors are underscored by a vein of juicy acidity. Closes sweet, energetic and quite long, displaying lingering florality and supple tannins that build slowly. This generous wine clocks in, surprisingly to me, at only 13.5% alcohol, which is pretty tame by the vintage's standard. Maybe it's the relatively low pH that's making it come off so lively.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Josh Raynolds
More reviews and scores
Coming from a single vineyard of gravelly, sandy soils near Mercurol, the 2015 Crozes-Ermitage Le Grand Courtil is another killer wine. Blackberries, black raspberries, cassis, crushed herbs and gravelly, mineral notes all give way to a full-bodied, ripe, concentrated Crozes that shines for its purity and balance. Forget bottles for 3-4 years and drink it over the following decade. The only downside to these latest releases from Ferraton? They’re made in tiny quantities and there’s just not enough to go around. For readers who don’t know, this estate is managed by Michel Chapoutier, yet they have their own vineyard sources and winemaking team.
The 2015 Crozes-Ermitage Le Grand Courtil isn't as aromatically compelling as the Les Pichères bottlings, but it shows similarly concentrated fruit. It's full-bodied and rich, with notes of black olive and hints of cherry framed by firm tannins. Give it several years to come around.