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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Drinking window: Drink between 2019 and 2024 (based on 10 user opinions) |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 90.1 pts. and median of 90 pts. in 38 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by wirelesswine on 2/21/2024 & rated 90 points: Ready to roll right now with medium body and medium-, soft tannin. Very typical syrah with dark fruit and some earthiness. (188 views) | | | Tasted by Doc90 on 2/10/2023 & rated 90 points: Masculine nose of leather, tobacco leaves, and a hint of scotch. Light in body, focused and intentional. Pure fruit and racy acidity. Drinking wonderfully now. (574 views) | | | Tasted by Psychescalpel on 1/13/2022 & rated 91 points: Aerated and decanted x 3.5 hours. In the glass this wine is a deep ruby in color. On the nose floral and herbaceous notes as well as dark fruit notes. On the tongue, black current and plums, followed by leather and licorice, as well as some subtle savory notes. Acid was slightly muted, with well integrated fine soft tannins. Mouthfeel is focused, and body is light but not too thin. Medium finish. Overall impression: this is a lovely, if somewhat straightforward, example of northern Rhone syrah. I found that overall the words gentle and lush both came to mind as descriptors, though this is not generally how I would normally characterize a wine of this style. Should continue to develop in the bottle for anther 3-5 years. ~91 points (1265 views) | | | Tasted by jayw on 1/8/2022: Balanced and flavorful, medium-full body, ripe fruit with wild garrigue notes. Great value for the price. Will hold my last two bottles to see how they develop. (1080 views) | | | Tasted by RWG on 1/5/2022 & rated 89 points: liked it. (1110 views) | | | Tasted by dmitchell4 on 10/22/2021 & rated 90 points: Lighter than I expected (1105 views) | | | Tasted by Winedoc22 on 10/16/2021 & rated 93 points: Earth, Black fruit, pepper and well integrated tannins. Just what you’d expect from Crozes Hermitage (791 views) | | | Tasted by Easter Everywhere on 8/15/2021: really good! (478 views) | | | Tasted by thebonnydooner on 2/2/2021 & rated 90 points: Another very nice showing. Still a little firm, with strong acidity but also nice crunchy currant and dark plum fruit, nose is nicely fragrant with soft anise and tar/leather. Good long finish for a modestly priced wine. Excellent value for money - kills most domestic Syrah for this price. (819 views) | | | Tasted by jayw on 12/19/2020: Brooding dark fruit with savory notes of smoked meat. Well-balanced, medium body, with integrated tannins. Very food versatile. Not as good on day 2. (828 views) | | | Tasted by thebonnydooner on 11/11/2020 & rated 90 points: Lovely showing. Nicely dark and ripe, with excellent balance. Nose is nicely intense, with garrigue, some tar, anise, and dark fruit. Pretty interesting. Medium to full bodied, medium sweetness, currant and dark plum fruit with some blackberry, dry finish with fine tannins and juicy currant acidity. Decent but not hugely long finish. Very nice value. (868 views) | | | Tasted by fingers on 10/19/2020 & rated 89 points: Another good performance. I love the very gentle tannic grip that lets the fruit show all it has to give and makes this very easy to drink. It’s a lovely daytime imbibe that will work with almost any food you want to throw in the mix. 4+11+16+8= 89 (1223 views) | | | Tasted by clutj on 8/26/2020 & rated 90 points: Excellent. Refined tannins, good fruit, smooth. (889 views) | | | Tasted by fingers on 7/20/2020 & rated 89 points: Dark, slightly hazy ruby color with no fading at the rim and no sediment. Profound bouquet of sweet cherry and wonderful earthy leaves and mulch notes (maybe this is whole cluster?). Light to medium body, soft tannins, and appropriately firm acidity. Average length and finish. Not much changed over the 4 hours tasted and I would say this is ready to go. 5+12+15+7= 89 (952 views) | | | Tasted by jayw on 7/19/2020: Medium body, moderate fruit, well balanced with integrated tannins. Drinking well at the moment, though I'm not sure it will benefit any more from aging. Versatile food wine and good QPR at $17. (601 views) | | | Tasted by cse on 3/16/2020 & rated 92 points: gorgeous, savory, no excess heat. wish i had several bottles to age. (1008 views) | | | Tasted by wineismylife on 3/5/2020 & rated 90 points: WIML90
Tasted non blind.
Dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of blueberries, plums, balsamic and black berries. Flavors of black berries, Bing cherries and raspberries. Bright acidity, medium tannin, full bodied. Drink over the short to medium term. (790 views) | | | Tasted by joraesque on 12/25/2019 & rated 89 points: 89-90 (1054 views) | | | Tasted by rjm_va on 12/22/2019 & rated 89 points: Air opened it up. It’s close to being really good. Maybe next one (933 views) | | | Tasted by davidspieker on 12/20/2019 & rated 88 points: Aromas of red and black berries and pepper. A bit tight but juicy. Medium body. Should improve with time. (938 views) | | | Tasted by joraesque on 12/17/2019 & rated 88 points: Medium-bodied, round and easy-drinking.
88-89 (843 views) | | | Tasted by pkbowen on 12/14/2019 & rated 89 points: Really easy drinking after a short decant. A real pleasure pairing with roast duck, mushroom cream sauce, and brussel sprouts. Black cherry and graphitic minerals featuring, with a juicy and soft mouthfeel. Not much structure but enough to hold up to poultry. "Very good," 89/100. (754 views) | | | Tasted by mkates2000 on 11/18/2019 & rated 91 points: On the nose black pepper and berry. Tight but tasty. Nice power and zip. Wanna see where this goes in a few yeara (632 views) | | | Tasted by whowhatwine on 6/20/2019 & rated 90 points: Classical. Old world Syrah Nose : cracked pepper, with a hint of meat, and neutral oak medium body, with a long finish that display the tannins very nicely with fruits and balance. It was very tight when opening it it would benefit from long decanting. Pair with French cheeses,(duh?) red and meat based pasta, specially if spicy or a light steak like flank. (1156 views) | | | Tasted by oakville72 on 5/12/2019 & rated 90 points: Outstanding stuff. I'm usually not a big fan of Syrah, but this wine has fruit, heft and balance — the perfect triad. Yves Cheron does a great job with all his wines. Bravo! (For more on this vineyard, see http://www.vignoblescheron.fr/rhone-valley-north.php.) Tasted twice. (1089 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| 2016 Domaine les Hauts de Mercurol Crozes-Hermitagegaragiste
2016 Northern Rhone
Dear Friends,
This was just confirmed and it is such a good deal (for the region and the vintage), I pulled the offer that was already queued for this afternoon to give you a crack at this instead.
Why?
A number of you have asked for an all-season/12 month-of-the-year $15-20 red wine that can play 1st chair in winter, spring, summer or fall.
I found it in the Northern Rhone.
In fact, how many days of the week will call for today’s subject?
Just about all of them.
So...
Today’s subject resides in Crozes-Hermitage and there’s not much to say.
From the classic and sought after 2016 vintage, the Les Hauts de Mercurol Crozes Hermitage is just about perfect as a mid-week red wine with a savory, fresh and fruit-filled character that also echoes a most appealing sense of breed and nobility. It has a fresh perfume that follows through to a long and enticing palate of Syrah-laced delight...
WA (Joe CZ): “This makes two years in a row this estate has overachieved with its entry-level wine. The 2016 Crozes Hermitage shows a classic aromatic profile of cracked pepper and black cherry fruit. Medium to full-bodied, this wine is raised mostly in tank, with about 25% going into wood. It's silky in texture, with a long, spice-driven finish. 2018 - 2023. 92pts”
2016 Crozes-Hermitage for $16+!
This parcel has the finest/freshest original provenance available – it is not a long-term pre-arrival.
ONE SHIPMENT ONLY at this $.
FIRST COME FIRST SERVED up to 36/person until we run out:
2016 Les Hauts de Mercurol Crozes Hermitage 750ml (Rhone) - $16.70
(WA92)
(for compare at $, you’ll have to check the 2015 vintage)
Drink: 2019 - 2025+.
Syrah Varietal article (Wikipedia) | (Wines Northwest)
Note that some producers in the Northern Rhone distinguish between simply Syrah and "Serine", the latter described as ‘an ancient clone of Syrah, the berries of which are more oval-shaped and less deeply pigmented than Syrah’ by producer Tardieu-Laurent. France Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comRhône Guide to the wines, wineries and appellations in the Rhone Valley The Rhône Valley/Le Vins de la Vallée du Rhône (Comité Interprofession des vins AOC Côtes et vallée du Rhône)
### Wine Scholar Guild's Rhône valley vintage charts & ratings ###Northern Rhône Guide to the wines and appellations of the Northern Rhone Valley -
The Rhône Valley/Le Vins de la Vallée du Rhône (Comité Interprofession des vins AOC Côtes et vallée du Rhône)
Regional History:
Phocaean Greeks established viticulture in the Rhone as far back as 600 BC, but until the 14th century the wines were not seen outside the region. The establishment of the Avignonese Papacy (1305-1377) brought fame to the region's wine-so much so that their Burgundian neighbors to the north banned wines from the Rhone in 1446, a measure that effectively cut off trade with England and other Northern European markets for over 200 years. Stretching southward from Lyon to just south of Avignon, the Rhone produces a wide variety of wines, with the appellations north of Valence producing the least (in volume), and the towns south of Montelimar producing prodigious amounts. As in other regions, the most interesting wines come from small farms. Saint-Joseph, in the northern Rhone, extends for some distance between Condrieu in the north to Saint-Peray in the south. The reds are made from Syrah and the rare whites from Marsanne and Roussanne, and Viognier.
### 2017 vintage ###
"The first red wines already tasted in the Northern Rhône promise a beautiful vintage, with a quality close to the 2015 or even the 2009 vintage" - NEWRHÔNE MILLESIMESCrozes-Hermitage Crozes-Hermitage AOC (Comité Interprofession des vins AOC Côtes et vallée du Rhône) |
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