Community Tasting Notes 5

• wineforth Likes this wine: 93 points

  April 23, 2024 - 2nd bottle from a half case bought en primeur; the 1st being 3 years ago. The note below by Forceberry brilliantly captures the complex flavours here. Big nose with some undergrowth initially then of blueberry and graphite. Opaque inky colour and thick with body. The tannins are still dominant and unbalance the wine. Still very enjoyable now. Next bottle in 2 years.

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• tward Likes this wine: 91 points

  March 10, 2023 - Excellent, drinking well now. This is the first of three bottles purchased five years ago and waiting was likely warranted. Had over a few nights from Coravin.
  
  Candied violets, great N. Rhone profile all around, graphite, iron, blood, sweet meat, smoky, medium-dark, red fruit notes
  
  13.5% abv

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• wineforth wrote: 92 points

  July 12, 2021 - 1st bottle from a half case bought en primeur. The note below by Forceberry brilliantly captures the complex flavours here. Big nose of blueberry, opaque inky colour and thick with body. Still far too soon to drink. The tannins and acidity are dominant and unbalance the wine. Will it come together in time? The tannins will certainly ameliorate but what of the acidity? At such a good QPR its worth a half case to find out. Next bottle in 3 years.

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• forceberry wrote: 93 points

  August 4, 2020 - Made with biodynamically farmed Syrah grapes. Macerated with the skins for 4 weeks in concrete tanks. Aged for 12 months in 1st, 2nd and 3rd use 600-liter demi-muids (50%) and concrete tanks (50%), then blended together and left to marry for another 4 months. 13,5% alcohol. Tasted blind.
  
  Dense, youthful and fully opaque blackish-red color. Brooding, dark-toned and quite vibrant nose that packs a punch. Intense aromas of ripe blackcurrants, inky tones, some peppery spice, a little bit of gamey meat, light spicy notes of savory wood and a brambly hint of blackberry. The wine is dense, medium-bodied and very firm on the palate with clean, savory flavors of ripe blackberries, some stony minerality, a little bit of peppery spice, light notes of tart red plums, a hint of meaty umami and a brambly touch of black raspberries. Impressively structured and rather tightly-knit feel with the remarkably high acidity and surprisingly assertive, firm tannins. The finish is dry, tannic and savory with very long flavors of brambly blackberries, some peppery spice, a little bit of stony minerality, light notes of bloody game, a hint of meaty umami and a subtle touch of savory wood.
  
  A surprisingly serious, muscular and structured effort for a Crozes-Hermitage that is built more like a classic Hermitage or a Cornas. The guesses were immediately in Northern Rhône, but nobody thought about Crozes-Hermitage. Ferraton might be known as a large and thus relatively uninteresting producer, but this wine only confirmed my impression that they have been making pretty gorgeous and finely crafted wines lately. A powerhouse that punches well above the weight of this often overlooked appellation. Feels almost too young now, at 5 years of age, speaking volumes of its cellaring potential. Highly recommended.

  6 people found this helpful Comments (1)

• Tony S wrote: 95 points

  April 7, 2019 - Delicious

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Pro Reviews 2

Wine Definition

• Vintage 2015
• Type Red
• Producer Ferraton Père & Fils
• Varietal Syrah
• Designation n/a
• Vineyard Les Pichères
• Country France
• Region Rhône
• SubRegion Northern Rhône
• Appellation Crozes-Hermitage

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 0 (0%)
• In Cellars 129 (59%)
• Consumed 88 (41%)

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