You probably don’t know George. Neither did I, until I wandered into his shop in Tain Hermitage, after a tasting at Chapoutier. George is Greek, married to a French woman, and settled in the Rhône valley because of her. That’s what he told us.
In 1983, George made his first wine to celebrate the birth of his son. He liked it so much that in 1988 he officially opened his winery, while continuing to run the shop in Tain. It’s a must-visit, not only for us mere mortals, but also for the likes of Troisgros and Bocuse, who trusted his selections. Back in the ’80s, George was even the distributor for Rayas. Do you know the lieu-dit Pignan from Rayas? George farms the very same plot.. Yeah he’s serious.
While browsing his store, he asked us we would like a Crozes. Why not. With no expectations, we tasted, and with the very first sip, my friend and I looked at each other and nodded. This is serious. Too serious for Crozes.
Here we are, two and a half years later and I just opened the first of three bottles. This time, we’re making proper notes.
The nose is incredibly concentrated, fruit-forward, and almost Gonon-like in style, though a little less polished. Bramble, black plum flesh, and lifted florals. Pencil shavings, graphite, black pepper, and that Syrah-typical black olive note. There’s just a touch of leathery development, hinting at the complexity still to come.
On the palate, it shows a fresher, lighter side: cherry, raspberry, and a rhubarb-like acidity. Gun to my head, I would have said there’s new oak on this. There’s this cacao flavor that kept me engaged. A call to the George, proved me wrong; just old wood. Well, we live and we learn. The tannins are still grainy, but they frame the fruit and stretch the finish beautifully. Few Crozes can match this length, layered with spice, fruit, and a dusting of cacao. It just keeps on giving.
I won’t touch the next bottle for at least three years. Or, I’ll try..
For the geeks, before I forget. Petit Hermitage? Well, that’s what people on the interwebz call the vineyards of Gervans. They are right behind Hermitage, although flatter. The vines George farms are over a hundred years old and on granite soils.
Grenache-a-trois
Incredible producer I found through Lyle Fass
VelkoZinfandel
This is an awesome post. Thanks for sharing. I’ll be on the lookout for the producer
24moop
Didn’t you post this last week?
SunKing970
that thomas straker cookbook is awesome
LingonberryPal
Their shop in Tain (Compagnie l’Hermitage) is tremendous and the family was super nice when I visited.
abuttfarting
Am I having Deja vu or did someone post a nearly identical review of this same wine the other week? They even had a google maps screenshot in the album, like OP.
nohowknowhow
We visited their shop earlier this year. The son was there, and we had an amazing tasting experience. The only bottling they had of their own stuff was Gigondas, and we got one even though we were headed straight to Gigondas! *Reddit translated from English
8 Comments
You probably don’t know George. Neither did I, until I wandered into his shop in Tain Hermitage, after a tasting at Chapoutier. George is Greek, married to a French woman, and settled in the Rhône valley because of her. That’s what he told us.
In 1983, George made his first wine to celebrate the birth of his son. He liked it so much that in 1988 he officially opened his winery, while continuing to run the shop in Tain. It’s a must-visit, not only for us mere mortals, but also for the likes of Troisgros and Bocuse, who trusted his selections. Back in the ’80s, George was even the distributor for Rayas. Do you know the lieu-dit Pignan from Rayas? George farms the very same plot.. Yeah he’s serious.
While browsing his store, he asked us we would like a Crozes. Why not. With no expectations, we tasted, and with the very first sip, my friend and I looked at each other and nodded. This is serious. Too serious for Crozes.
Here we are, two and a half years later and I just opened the first of three bottles. This time, we’re making proper notes.
The nose is incredibly concentrated, fruit-forward, and almost Gonon-like in style, though a little less polished. Bramble, black plum flesh, and lifted florals. Pencil shavings, graphite, black pepper, and that Syrah-typical black olive note. There’s just a touch of leathery development, hinting at the complexity still to come.
On the palate, it shows a fresher, lighter side: cherry, raspberry, and a rhubarb-like acidity. Gun to my head, I would have said there’s new oak on this. There’s this cacao flavor that kept me engaged. A call to the George, proved me wrong; just old wood. Well, we live and we learn. The tannins are still grainy, but they frame the fruit and stretch the finish beautifully. Few Crozes can match this length, layered with spice, fruit, and a dusting of cacao. It just keeps on giving.
I won’t touch the next bottle for at least three years. Or, I’ll try..
For the geeks, before I forget. Petit Hermitage? Well, that’s what people on the interwebz call the vineyards of Gervans. They are right behind Hermitage, although flatter. The vines George farms are over a hundred years old and on granite soils.
Incredible producer I found through Lyle Fass
This is an awesome post. Thanks for sharing. I’ll be on the lookout for the producer
Didn’t you post this last week?
that thomas straker cookbook is awesome
Their shop in Tain (Compagnie l’Hermitage) is tremendous and the family was super nice when I visited.
Am I having Deja vu or did someone post a nearly identical review of this same wine the other week? They even had a google maps screenshot in the album, like OP.
We visited their shop earlier this year. The son was there, and we had an amazing tasting experience. The only bottling they had of their own stuff was Gigondas, and we got one even though we were headed straight to Gigondas! *Reddit translated from English