Guigal Crozes Hermitage 2018
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Jeb
Dunnuck -
Wine
Enthusiast -
Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The 2018 is a dark and deep color. Red fruits, cherry and strawberry with delicate oak aromas. A structured tannic wine. Aromas of blackcurrant buds and vanilla.
Pair this wine alongside red meat, game and cheese.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
I loved the 2018 Crozes-Hermitage, which is similar to the 2017 yet offers a touch more purity of fruit. Blackberries, black raspberries, smoked game, and earth all emerge from this medium to full-bodied effort that’s going to shine right out of the gate.
Rating: 89-92
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Wine Enthusiast
Drops of blackberry candy and violet perfume announce this ebulliently fruity, forward Syrah. Cassis and black-cherry flavors are intensely ripe yet pristine, elevated by subtle streaks of granite, smoke and licorice. Soft and silky on the palate, the wine is irresistible young.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Loaded with upfront blueberries and cherries, the 2018 Crozes Hermitage is medium to full-bodied, pleasantly plump and generous in the mouth. It's ripe and silky, with a soft wash of dusty tannins on the finish. Your perfect hamburger wine for the next few years?
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James Suckling
Aromas of red fruit and berries, thyme, red licorice and grated nutmeg. Full-bodied with guiding tannins. Straightforward with a solid core of red fruits. Bark and moss undertones.
Drink now.
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The Guigal domain was founded in 1946 by Etienne Guigal in the ancient village of Ampuis, home of the wines of the Côte-Rôtie. In these vineyards that are over 2400 years old, you can still see the small terraced walls characteristic of the Roman period. Etienne Guigal arrived in this region in 1923 at the age of 14. He made wine for over 67 vintages and, at the beginning of his career, participated in the development of the Vidal-Fleury establishment.
Despite his young age, Marcel Guigal took over from his father in 1961 when the latter was victim to a brutal illness rendering him blind. Marcel's hard work and perseverance enabled the Guigals to buy out Vidal-Fleury in 1984, although the establishment retains its own identity and commercial autonomy. In 2000, the Guigals purchased the Jean-Louis Grippat estate in Saint-Joseph and Hermitage, as well as the Domaine de Vallouit in Côte-Rôtie, Hermitage, Saint-Joseph and Crozes-Hermitage.
In the cellars of the Guigal estate in Ampuis, the northern appellations of the Rhône Valley are produced and aged. These are the appellations of Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu, Hermitage, Saint-Joseph and Crozes-Hermitage. The great appellations of the Southern Rhône, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, Tavel and Côtes-du-Rhône, are also aged in the Ampuis cellars.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
Crozes-Hermitage is Northern Rhone’s largest appellation, surrounding the steep granite faces of Hermitage to its north and south. Here the rolling vineyards are less extreme and its soils, rich in clay-limestone and alluvial matter, produce Syrahs that range from fruity and charming to lush and seductive. The Syrahs of Crozes-Hermitage have more mass than those from St. Joseph but are less intense than those from Hermitage. While many are intended for early consumption, some of the best Syrahs from Crozes-Hermitage will age beautifully for 5-10 years.
Up to 15% of white grapes may theoretically be added to red Crozes at the time of fermentation but whether this is done or not depends on the decision of the winemaker. The best Crozes-Hermitage Syrahs will be fleshy with black fruit (currant, blackberry and black cherry) and bay leaf qualities, notes of tar and stone, and a well-concentrated finish of smooth tannins.
About a tenth of the wine produced in Crozes-Hermitage is white, primarily composed of Marsanne supplemented by smaller amounts of Roussanne.