Red wine

Crozes-Hermitage

Robe — Deep ruby-purple

  • blackberry
  • black pepper
  • olive
  • violet
  • smoke
Palate
Medium-bodied, peppery and fresh; the everyday face of northern Syrah
Ageing
3–10 years
Serving
16–17 °C

The largest appellation of the northern Rhône and its most affordable gateway to Syrah, Crozes-Hermitage rings the great hill of Hermitage on flatter, more varied ground. The wines run from light and peppery on the alluvial plain to serious and structured on the granite slopes — always fresh, always recognisably northern Rhône.

A splash of white Marsanne is permitted in the blend. Approachable and food-friendly, Crozes is where the region's noble grape comes down to earth — the everyday Syrah against which the others are measured.

The blend

A typical modern composition

Where it is made

Producers

A few estates working in this style today — a sample, not a ranking

Through time

Indicative presence index, 0–100Origins & Antiquity — 0The Monastic Middle Ages — 15Exploration & the Fortified Age — 25Classifications & the Golden Age — 40Phylloxera & the World Crises — 40The Modern & New World Era — 70Antiquity0500150017001875195070