2015 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Crozes-Hermitage Domaine Raymond Roure
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Tasting notes
Opaque ruby. An assertively scented, complex bouquet features mineral-accented boysenberry, cherry liqueur, licorice and smoky mineral aromas that expand with air. Stains the palate with sweet, dense black and blue fruit, spicecake and candied violet flavors that show a surprisingly graceful touch thanks to a spine of juicy acidity. Velvety, slow-mounting tannins shape a broad, smoke-laced finish that hangs on with superb, floral-driven persistence.
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Josh Raynolds
Jeb Dunnuck
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I loved 2015 Crozes-Hermitage Domaine De Roure, which offers a firm, structured, yet impressive style. Black raspberries, graphite, scorched earth and plenty of minerality emerge from the glass and it has building tannin and a concentrated, full-bodied, layered palate. Give it 2-3 years and it will last for another 10-15. If anyone had any doubts about the incredible turn around in quality this estate has seen since being taken over by Caroline Frey and winemaker Jacques Desvernois in 2006, these latest 2015s should put those doubts to rest. This is unquestionably the finest set of releases I’ve tasted from the estate, and the top reds rival, and in a number of cases surpass, the 2009s and 2010s. While the lineup remains relatively unchanged, the La Petite Chapelle has been done away with and is replaced by the La Maison Bleue cuvee, which driven by vineyards located on the eastern side of Hermitage Hill, as opposed to being a second wine for the La Chapelle cuvee. I continue to think the whites could use more richness and opulence, yet they’re impeccably made and carry their fresher, vibrant style nicely.
Brooding, concentrated and tannic, the 2015 Crozes Hermitage Domaine de Roure will need some time to come out of its granite shell. Crushed stone and dark cherries and cassis emerge only reticently on the nose. For easier near-term drinking, grab some of the Thalabert; for serious longevity in the cellar, the Domaine de Roure will be hard to beat.
(raised for a year in oak barrels, 20 percent of them new) Youthful purple. An explosively perfumed bouquet displays intense boysenberry, raspberry, star anise and violet scents, and a smoky mineral nuance gains strength with air. Alluringly sweet, energetic red and blue fruit, spicecake and floral pastille flavors show excellent clarity and mineral lift for their heft. Supple, slow-building tannins add grip to the finish, which lingers with outstanding, floral-driven persistence. These vines are between 40 and 60 years old.