Laurent Fayolle Crozes-Hermitage Les Pontaix Rouge 2019
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Spectator
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Parker
Robert - Decanter
Product Details
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Winemaker Notes
Certified organic. 100% Syrah. A 3.5 ha single-vineyard on the backside of the Hermitage hill in the original Crozes village of Crozes-Hermitage. A steep, terraced parcel that sits over clay and limestone. 40+ year old vines. De-stemmed. Indigenous yeast. Fermented and aged in demi-muids (15% new). Unfined and unfiltered.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Juicy and direct, with a burst of red and black cherry compote flavors followed quickly by melted black licorice and sweet tobacco hints. A light mineral accent adds a little tension through the fruit-driven finish. Drink now
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From 40-year-old vines on clay and limestone soils in Crozes proper, destemmed and aged in demi-muids (20% new), the cassis-scented 2019 Crozes Hermitage Les Pontaix picks up hints of crushed stone and pencil shavings on the nose as well. It's a moderately concentrated, easy-drinking Crozes, with soft tannins, succulent fruit and a long, softly dusty finish.
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Decanter
Fresh berry fruit, blackberries, not overripe. Medium-bodied, very precise, not overly thick in texture with very fine tannin and good acidity. Better than most Crozes-Hermitage in 2019, this is very ripe but also balanced, fresh and drinkable. From granite soils at the north of the appellation. Spends 12 months in demi-muids, 20% new.
Other Vintages
2020- Vinous
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Dunnuck
Jeb
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
A long and narrow valley producing flavorful red, white, and rosé wines, the Rhône is bisected by the river of the same name and split into two distinct sub-regions—north and south. While a handful of grape varieties span the entire length of the Rhône valley, there are significant differences between the two zones in climate and geography as well as the style and quantity of Rhône wines produced. The Northern Rhône, with its continental climate and steep hillside vineyards, is responsible for a mere 5% or less of the greater region’s total output. The Southern Rhône has a much more Mediterranean climate, the aggressive, chilly Mistral wind and plentiful fragrant wild herbs known collectively as ‘garrigue.’
In the Northern Rhône, the only permitted red variety is Syrah, which in the appellations of St.-Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage, Hermitage, Cornas and Côte-Rôtie, it produces velvety black-fruit driven, savory, peppery red wines often with telltale notes of olive, game and smoke. Full-bodied, perfumed whites are made from Viognier in Condrieu and Château-Grillet, while elsewhere only Marsanne and Roussanne are used, with the former providing body and texture and the latter lending nervy acidity. The wines of the Southern Rhône are typically blends, with the reds often based on Grenache and balanced by Syrah, Mourvèdre, and an assortment of other varieties. All three northern white varieties are used here, as well as Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Bourbelenc and more. The best known sub-regions of the Southern Rhône are the reliable, wallet-friendly Côtes du Rhône and the esteemed Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Others include Gigondas, Vacqueyras and the rosé-only appellation Tavel.