Cave de Tain Héritiers Gambert Nobles Rives Crozes-Hermitage 2018 (Rhône) - Wine Review

After enjoying the 2015 Cave de Tain Grand Classique Crozes-Hermitage a couple of years ago, tonight's red wine review is another lovely Syrah from the same producer that arrived at the LCBO a couple of weeks ago, as part of the June 26th LCBO VINTAGES Release.

Cave de Tain was founded in 1933 by Louis Gambert de Loche on the Hermitage slope in northern Rhône. It is a large co-operative and unique in that they own all of their 1,000 hectares of vineyards. These vineyards are spread across the five prestigious appellations of northern Rhône, making Cave de Tain the leading producer of cru wines in the region. Cave de Tain is also a pioneer in sustainable winegrowing and conservation of their unique grape varieties. Today, four generations of growers have contributed to the craftsmanship of terroir-driven wines of Cave de Tain using the latest, cutting-edge tools.

This 100% Syrah was grown on Cave de Tain's primary vineyard, on the left bank of the northern Rhône, on its two emblematic soil types - granite and galets which are small surface stones. Most of the grapes come from alluvial terraces with rolled pebbles (galets) from the Rhône River, along with some loess soils. The climate here is continental with a Mediterranean influence. The grapes were completely de-stemmed prior to gentle fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel and/or concrete tanks. It was aged in vats (60%) for 6 to 11 months, while the remaining 40% of the was aged in 400 L oak barrels. In 2018, northern Rhône experienced a very hot and dry vintage, resulting in a plentiful and ripe crop. Let's see how this Syrah is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

CAVE DE TAIN HÉRITIERS GAMBERT NOBLES RIVES CROZES-HERMITAGE 2018 - Sustainable, AC, Rhône, France (#572230) (XD) - $25.95
This excellent, sustainably crafted Syrah has fresh, intense, and complex aromas of dark berry, blackberry, black cherry, smoke, black pepper spice, herbs, and meaty notes with a savoury, earthy core. Some pretty floral aromas with time in the glass. It's medium-full bodied on the structured palate with very good concentration. Lovely black pepper, blackberry, dark cherry, and herbal flavours that turn savoury, meaty, smoky, and minerally on the mid-palate. It's supported by fresh, balanced acidity and fine-grained tannins that have a some structure and grip. Savoury, stony mineral, and coffee notes linger on the very long finish. Wow. Highly recommended buy! Score: 91+ pts

Other fine wines from Cave de Tain can be ordered through their Agent - Noble Estates Wines & Spirits.

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J. Denuzière Crozes-Hermitage 2018 (Rhône) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine review is a lovely Syrah from the northern Rhône appellation of Crozes-Hermitage that arrived at the LCBO this weekend as part of the May 1st LCBO VINTAGES Release.

Based in Condrieu, the story of J. Denuzière begins in 1876 when founder of the estate, Joanny Paret, wished to develop the reputation and distribute local Rhône wines. Joseph Paret, son of Joanny, continued the traditions of the family business for forty years, eventually handing it over in the 1940s to his son-in-law, Pierre Denuzière. Since that time, the Denuzière name has been part of the vineyard landscape in northern Rhône Valley.

Today, J. Denuzière handcrafts a number of micro-cuvées around their Condriot heritage that strengthen with each passing vintage. In addition to owning 1 hectare vineyard plots in both Condrieu and Cornas, J. Denuzière also works exclusively and closely with a number of regional winegrowers, ensuring that each terroir is carefully studied to get the best expression of each grape variety. The vinification philosophy is to be gentle and natural, while combining tradition with modernity. Since 2010, and more recently with the help of Caroline Moro (whom I had the pleasure of meeting back in May 2018), all J. Denuzière wines are handcrafted, requiring working plot-by-plot on the terraced vineyards, and giving rise to a small quantity of wines with excellent quality.

This particular red wine is from the northern Rhône Valley's largest appellation, Crozes-Hermitage. It is 100% Syrah and was grown on old alluvial terraces with a lot of rocks and pebbles in the soils. The grapes were hand-picked, then destemmed at the cellar. Fermentation occurred in stainless steels vats, followed by ageing in barrels for 6 to 8 months. Let's see how this northern Rhône Syrah is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

J. DENUZIÈRE CROZES-HERMITAGE 2018 - AC, Rhône, France (#667485) (XD) - $29.95
The medium+ intensity nose seems a bit shy, but offers dark fruited aromas of black and blueberry alongside white pepper spice, wood, and touches of floral. It's medium+ bodied with good fruit concentration on the palate and fruit forward flavours of dark berry and blackberry joined by savoury, earthy, white pepper spice, and wood notes supported by fresh acidity and refined, dusty-textured tannins. Lovely floral notes emerge on the mid-palate and linger to the stony mineral finish, with excellent length. Enjoy this classy Syrah over the next 7-8 years. Score: 91 pts

A limited number of other lovely wines from J. Denuzière are available at the LCBO, while the rest of the portfolio can be ordered through their Agent - DBINO David Beauroy Selections.

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Clairmont Classique Crozes-Hermitage 2018 (Rhône) - Wine Review

If you're a Syrah wine lover like me, tonight's wine review is this lovely Crozes-Hermitage from Rhône that landed in LCBO VINTAGES on September 5th - with plenty still available for purchase across Ontario.

Clairmont is a northern Rhône mini co-operative that was formed in 1972 by three families with an ambition to work together and share resources. With a team spirit, Clairmont's strength stems from this alliance of skills, shared values, and relationships. Although Clairmont is still a small company today, they are the second largest producer of Crozes-Hermitage. Clairmont is situated in the town of Beaumont-Monteux and is a key stakeholder in Crozes-Hermitage, owning 115 hectares in the heart of the appellation. The younger generation has taken over the responsibilities, working closely and collaboratively with their group of winegrowers.

It is interesting to know that Clairmont is one of the only producers in the world where the winegrowers play an active role in the winemaking process. Each harvest, the winegrowers bring the grapes to the cellar and help plan the different wines that will be produced. Good wines come from good grapes, and plot selection plays an important role in determining which which grapes go into each cuvée - with everyone playing a role in deciding which wines will be conceived. The end goal is to produce wines of high quality that are desired by everyone in the company.

This particular Crozes-Hermitage is a favourite of one of their winemakers - Florent Martinelli. It is a blend of several plots of Syrah grapes planted on two very specific terroirs - ancient alluvial terraces off the Isère and the Rhône rivers comprised of deep pebbly soils, and south/southwest-facing slopes on high terraces featuring smooth, rounded pebbles.

Tasting Note:

CLAIRMONT CLASSIQUE CROZES-HERMITAGE 2018 - AC, Rhône, France (#537811) (XD) - $24.95
100% Syrah matured solely in vats, the nose is open and very ripe with blackberry, violet, savoury, and crushed rock aromas. It is medium+ bodied on the lively palate with ripe blackberry, wild berry, black pepper spice, and savoury meaty flavours, along with touches of stony mineral. Acids are fresh and lively, while tannins are smooth and finely grained with a pleasant chalky grip developing with each sip. Long, satisfying finish has stony and black pepper notes. Lovely! Score: 90 pts

Other wines from Clairmont can be ordered via their Agent - Eurovintage Wines & Spirits.

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Cave de Tain Grand Classique Crozes-Hermitage 2015 (Rhône) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine review is a lovely bottle that first arrived in VINTAGES nearly two years ago, and I am happy to report that this delicious red wine is coming back to LCBO VINTAGES on May 25 with a couple of years of bottle age under its belt.

It is produced by Cave de Tain, a large co-operative that was founded in 1933 by Louis Gambert de Loche on the Hermitage slope in northern Rhône. With 1,000 hectares of vineyards that are meticulously maintained in five prestigious appellations - Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, Saint-Joseph, Cornas, and Saint-Péray - Cave de Tain is the leading producer of Cru wines in the northern Rhône Valley. Even though Cave de Tain is a co-operative, they own all of their vineyards. This allows the winemakers to select and vinify from individual plots to create wines that express their rich, unique and diverse terroirs.

Cave de Tain is a pioneer in areas such as sustainable winegrowing (certified since 2009), conservation of their unique grape varieties, developing winemaking knowledge that is passed down over four generations of winemakers, and investing in cutting-edge tools.

Northern Rhône and the Crozes-Hermitage Cru are famous for its Syrah as the terroir here offers a very rich expression of the varietal. This particular Crozes-Hermitage comes from the multi-faceted terroirs of more than 30 different plots of vineyards. The terroir here consists of predominantly granite soils in a fresher climate in the north, while in the south there are pebbly and filtrating soils of the Rhône and Isère.

Tasting Note:

CAVE DE TAIN GRAND CLASSIQUE CROZES-HERMITAGE 2015 - AC, Rhône, France (#572230) (XD) - $24.95
Cool, medium-high intensity nose is fairly complex with peppery, black cherry, meaty, black plum, and savoury earthy aromas. It is quite dense on the full-ish bodied palate with smooth, refined tannins and just a touch of chalky grippiness. Nicely balanced with more black pepper, black cherry and meaty flavours, plus some stony minerality on the mid-palate. Acids are juicy. Excellent length on the long, earthy-minerally-savoury finish. Enjoy this classic northern Rhône Syrah over the next 3-5 years. Score: 90 pts

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