13.5% alcohol. Long cork of superb quality with no significant wine penetration. Decanted 45 mn ahead. Dark colour with some thinning but no bricking at the rim. Plenty of deposit in spite of my (probably careless) decanting. The nose is free of oak and shows depth with black olive and ink as well as dark berries; plenty of class. The mouth is similarly poised with great balance and excellent acidity in the finish, as well as good grip. In the top flight of Crozes, a much maligned appellation which deserves better recognition.
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13.5% alcohol. Very good long cork with no wine penetration, except along a vein at the side (possibly as a result of damage inflicted by the bottling machine). Decanted an hour ahead. Plenty of deposit even though I decanted no more than 2/3 of the bottle. Deep colour with no fading at the rim. Very good nose with black olive and violet. The mouth has violets too and plenty of lift in the finish; substantial acidity, but nothing out of balance. No perception of oak. A very pure Crozes, well up to St Joseph level, and very representative of Northern Rhône Syrah. Would buy again, but I do not have a supplier for this wine at the moment (meaning also that I am not aware of current prices).
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Un nez moyennement expressif. En bouche, le vin est riche: de beaux arômes avec encore pas mal de tanins, impressionnant pour un Crozes Hermitage de plus de 10 ans. La longueur est très belle. Un beau vin que je n'avais pas vraiment apprécié dans sa jeunesse... il faut savoir attendre. 15/20
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Pop and pour yesterday. On the counter, unrefrigerated, overnight. On the nose: so savory: olive brine, charred gamey meat, dried blackberry, smokey bbq. On the palate: a touch less acid and thinner than I remember, but lovely blackberry with great salinity and gamey meat; I imagine venison in a blackberry reduction.Still some serious tannin rounds things out. Sad this is my last btl.
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Pop and pour. Stunning Crozes. On the nose: soft funk, blackberry, leather, lavender blossom. On the palate: dark blackberry, soft leather, olive brine, soft game...lovely acidity, lighter bodied and slightly thinner than the nose suggests, but lovely nonetheless. Soft, slightly chalky tannin on the finish, which is replete with blackberry and soft tang. Yum!
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J'avais gouté ce vin plus jeune et il était très fermé. cette fois, c'est très bon. Belle surprise. Nez pas très expressif mais en bouche c'est très bon. Un peu sucré mais de beaux aromes, une belle longueur. 16/20
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It has been a few years since we opened one of these, and maybe even a northern Rhône wine. Paired with grilled chicken. Blackberry, and dark toned fruit with olive, meat juices, purple flowers and spice. Soft in texture and moderate acid. We both enjoyed the wine and it has me wondering why I don’t buy more Syrah like this.
Lots of sediment and no need to rush.
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What did I pay for this again? Right, score. This is a pitch-perfect Crozes, at or near the peak of its powers. On the nose, loads of blackberry, olive brine, and fresh green herbs. On the palate, yeah, this has acidic snap...so energetic, with more blakcberry and the slighest touch of green olive. Very soft tannin, but fine and definitely visible. A better pairing for roast leg of lamb may exist, but why search?
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About two years since the last bottle. This one showed leaner than previous bottles. Darker fruits with cracked pepper accents. Fine tannin and medium plus acid. Heavy sediment in bottle which might explain the texture and weight difference. I liked it more than Ann who thought it needed food - a grilled sirloin steak in this case.
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Tuesday Night Double Blind <$30 (Bin 75): Dark core with bright purple rim; sulfur, black pepper, violet, perfumed though slightly reductive; texture seems a little light for N. Rhone, spicy, purple fruit, blackberry, huckleberry, a little animal, a thread of N. Rhone quality but warm, softer tannin though not plush; lighter and different from previous bottles.
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A very enticing bouquet of olives, charcoal, smoked meats, and dark fruits; The palate has concentrated red and dark fruit, spice, and violets with a silky texture and expressive finish; Really tasty young Crozes with a lot of Northern Rhone characteristics that I love
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Old World Blind Tasting >$25 (Bin 75): Black core with thin purple rim; leather, black pepper, violets, smoked meat; smooth texture, leather, hint of vanilla, plum, blackberry, tart, fresh; tasty, mine, a crowd favorite.
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Tuesday Night Double Blind $40+ (Bin 75): Opaque core with thin violet rim; loads of cracked black pepper, violets, dark profile, a little brooding, some vanilla, very sexy; lower acid, smoked meats, plummy, darker berries, fatter but delicious.
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Monthly Tasting Group LTB 2013-10; Northern Rhone (by HV, RvR, AdJ): Beautiful and concentrated bouquet with dark fruits and some smoke. On the palate dark fruits as well, a good balance between sweetness and acidity and soft tannin. Good complexity. Good qpr! Early maturity now and it will still drink nicely around 2016 and a few years after that.
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I really enjoyed this. Concentrated blueberries, dark fruits with lots of cracked white/black pepper and some rocky minerality. Rich and dense yet not heavy. Great acidity. Comes across as a masculine wine. Drinking well now and should continue to for quite a few years.
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12 months 20% new French oak. Nice nose, floral, a little Spanish like with earth and stinky wood. Big profile, nice lushness but still with Old world style, long finish of funky cherry. Very nice.
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Concentrated dark blueberry and tart black fruits with black pepper, black licorice and graphite accents. Long clean and crisp finish. Concentrated but light on its feet. Tasty. I'll try to pick up a couple more to drink over the next couple years.
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Northern Rhones (K&L Wines, San Francisco): Dark, almost black. Attractive nose of graphite and flowers. Medium weight, very clean dark fruit, good perfume in the mouth. Drink over next 3 years or so.
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10/3/2022 - Eudemis Likes this wine:
13.5% alcohol. Long cork of superb quality with no significant wine penetration. Decanted 45 mn ahead. Dark colour with some thinning but no bricking at the rim. Plenty of deposit in spite of my (probably careless) decanting.
The nose is free of oak and shows depth with black olive and ink as well as dark berries; plenty of class. The mouth is similarly poised with great balance and excellent acidity in the finish, as well as good grip.
In the top flight of Crozes, a much maligned appellation which deserves better recognition.
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3/3/2022 - Eudemis Likes this wine:
13.5% alcohol. Very good long cork with no wine penetration, except along a vein at the side (possibly as a result of damage inflicted by the bottling machine). Decanted an hour ahead. Plenty of deposit even though I decanted no more than 2/3 of the bottle. Deep colour with no fading at the rim.
Very good nose with black olive and violet. The mouth has violets too and plenty of lift in the finish; substantial acidity, but nothing out of balance. No perception of oak.
A very pure Crozes, well up to St Joseph level, and very representative of Northern Rhône Syrah.
Would buy again, but I do not have a supplier for this wine at the moment (meaning also that I am not aware of current prices).
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10/18/2021 - wwolf1 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Un nez moyennement expressif. En bouche, le vin est riche: de beaux arômes avec encore pas mal de tanins, impressionnant pour un Crozes Hermitage de plus de 10 ans. La longueur est très belle. Un beau vin que je n'avais pas vraiment apprécié dans sa jeunesse... il faut savoir attendre.
15/20
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10/15/2021 - psi wrote: 93 Points
A personal favorite here. 2010 is off the chart. 93-94
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4/15/2021 - psi wrote: 93 Points
This is such a great wine. A lot of structure and still very juicy
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3/12/2021 - Aravind Asok wrote:
Pop and pour yesterday. On the counter, unrefrigerated, overnight. On the nose: so savory: olive brine, charred gamey meat, dried blackberry, smokey bbq. On the palate: a touch less acid and thinner than I remember, but lovely blackberry with great salinity and gamey meat; I imagine venison in a blackberry reduction.Still some serious tannin rounds things out. Sad this is my last btl.
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12/12/2020 - psi wrote: 93 Points
World class wine. This will outperform many Hermitages. 2010 is such a success for Darnaud. 93-94
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12/8/2020 - Aravind Asok wrote:
Pop and pour. Stunning Crozes. On the nose: soft funk, blackberry, leather, lavender blossom. On the palate: dark blackberry, soft leather, olive brine, soft game...lovely acidity, lighter bodied and slightly thinner than the nose suggests, but lovely nonetheless. Soft, slightly chalky tannin on the finish, which is replete with blackberry and soft tang. Yum!
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7/10/2020 - wwolf1 Likes this wine: 92 Points
J'avais gouté ce vin plus jeune et il était très fermé. cette fois, c'est très bon. Belle surprise. Nez pas très expressif mais en bouche c'est très bon. Un peu sucré mais de beaux aromes, une belle longueur.
16/20
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7/30/2019 - Outplaying Likes this wine:
It has been a few years since we opened one of these, and maybe even a northern Rhône wine. Paired with grilled chicken. Blackberry, and dark toned fruit with olive, meat juices, purple flowers and spice. Soft in texture and moderate acid. We both enjoyed the wine and it has me wondering why I don’t buy more Syrah like this.
Lots of sediment and no need to rush.
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4/8/2019 - Aravind Asok wrote:
What did I pay for this again? Right, score. This is a pitch-perfect Crozes, at or near the peak of its powers. On the nose, loads of blackberry, olive brine, and fresh green herbs. On the palate, yeah, this has acidic snap...so energetic, with more blakcberry and the slighest touch of green olive. Very soft tannin, but fine and definitely visible. A better pairing for roast leg of lamb may exist, but why search?
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10/27/2018 - psi wrote: 94 Points
This was breathtakingly good. So complex, so balanced. This could easily have been mistaken for an Hermitage
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5/22/2016 - Outplaying wrote:
About two years since the last bottle. This one showed leaner than previous bottles. Darker fruits with cracked pepper accents. Fine tannin and medium plus acid. Heavy sediment in bottle which might explain the texture and weight difference. I liked it more than Ann who thought it needed food - a grilled sirloin steak in this case.
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12/26/2015 - psi wrote: 89 Points
A fine bottle, but not very giving. A bit too tight at the moment with muted fruit. Should blossom with further cellaring. 89-90+
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11/19/2015 - dsilver wrote: 88 Points
Fruit forward, subtle spice and some rustic notes
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4/23/2015 - eluebchow wrote: 90 Points
Consistent with my previous note; Really a great value here, with lots of savory N. Rhone characteristics underlying the red fruit
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6/10/2014 - Rezy13 wrote:
Tuesday Night Double Blind <$30 (Bin 75): Dark core with bright purple rim; sulfur, black pepper, violet, perfumed though slightly reductive; texture seems a little light for N. Rhone, spicy, purple fruit, blackberry, huckleberry, a little animal, a thread of N. Rhone quality but warm, softer tannin though not plush; lighter and different from previous bottles.
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5/16/2014 - eluebchow Likes this wine: 92 Points
A very enticing bouquet of olives, charcoal, smoked meats, and dark fruits; The palate has concentrated red and dark fruit, spice, and violets with a silky texture and expressive finish; Really tasty young Crozes with a lot of Northern Rhone characteristics that I love
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5/3/2014 - Rezy13 Likes this wine:
Old World Blind Tasting >$25 (Bin 75): Black core with thin purple rim; leather, black pepper, violets, smoked meat; smooth texture, leather, hint of vanilla, plum, blackberry, tart, fresh; tasty, mine, a crowd favorite.
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3/4/2014 - Rezy13 Likes this wine:
Tuesday Night Double Blind $40+ (Bin 75): Opaque core with thin violet rim; loads of cracked black pepper, violets, dark profile, a little brooding, some vanilla, very sexy; lower acid, smoked meats, plummy, darker berries, fatter but delicious.
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12/19/2013 - Zweder Likes this wine: 89 Points
Monthly Tasting Group LTB 2013-10; Northern Rhone (by HV, RvR, AdJ): Beautiful and concentrated bouquet with dark fruits and some smoke. On the palate dark fruits as well, a good balance between sweetness and acidity and soft tannin. Good complexity. Good qpr! Early maturity now and it will still drink nicely around 2016 and a few years after that.
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11/26/2013 - Outplaying Likes this wine:
I really enjoyed this. Concentrated blueberries, dark fruits with lots of cracked white/black pepper and some rocky minerality. Rich and dense yet not heavy. Great acidity. Comes across as a masculine wine. Drinking well now and should continue to for quite a few years.
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5/22/2013 - GTFreek wrote:
12 months 20% new French oak. Nice nose, floral, a little Spanish like with earth and stinky wood. Big profile, nice lushness but still with Old world style, long finish of funky cherry. Very nice.
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5/13/2013 - yofog wrote: 87 Points
Big, fruity nose, rich, empty mid-palate.
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12/27/2012 - JPH104 wrote:
Beautiful nose. Dense and concentrated throughout. Soft tannins, drinking well right now.
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12/26/2012 - Outplaying wrote:
Concentrated dark blueberry and tart black fruits with black pepper, black licorice and graphite accents. Long clean and crisp finish. Concentrated but light on its feet. Tasty. I'll try to pick up a couple more to drink over the next couple years.
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7/29/2012 - anonymoose12345 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Tasted blind. Very dark in the glass. Spicy, black fruit, earthy, complex. Very good.
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5/5/2012 - anonymoose12345 Likes this wine: 88 Points
Dry, medium-fruit, medium-bodied wine. Nice.
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5/5/2012 - drwine2001 wrote:
Northern Rhones (K&L Wines, San Francisco): Dark, almost black. Attractive nose of graphite and flowers. Medium weight, very clean dark fruit, good perfume in the mouth. Drink over next 3 years or so.
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