Crozes-Hermitage (5) Cave de Tain
Cave de Tain is one of the leading players in the northern Rhône. I remember visiting back in 1998 as an amateur, and passing through Tain this was the only place you could drop into for a tasting. The Cave has 250 member growers and controls 1150 hectares, which by northern Rhône standards is big.
They own 29 hectares on the hill of Hermitage (pictured above, from their tasting room), and there are 24 more hectares of Hermitage in the cooperative. They also own 5 hectares in Crozes-Hermitage, where they represent 45% of the appellation with 700 hectares of members’ vines. On the right bank they control 20% of St Peray (20 hectares in the coop) and 140 hectares in St Joseph. And they have 13 hectares in Cornas. 20% of the winegrowers in the coop are responsible for 80% of production.

They have access to all the terroirs in Crozes, from the granite soils of the north to the plain de Cassis in the south. I tasted these wines with Benoit Petit.





Cave de Tain Noble Rives Crozes-Hermitage Blanc 2023
13% alcohol. 95% Marsanne, 5% Roussanne, all stainless steel. Much of this comes from Les Pends in Mercurol, with small alluvial stones and some wind-deposited loess. This is lively and bright with juicy pear and yellow plum fruit with a tangy lemon and mandarin finish. It’s fresh, fruity and crystalline with a nice acid line. Very appealing in a fruity style. 89/100 (€15.5)

Cave de Tain Exploration Crozes-Hermitage Blanc 2023
13% alcohol. 86% Marsanne, 14% Roussanne. Organic (they have 10 ha in organic white in Crozes, but altogether now 300 ha organic in red and white ). Two terroirs: small pebbles in Mercurol and in Chanos-Curson with pebbles, loess and marne. No oak. This shows lovely texture with pear and white peach, showing some fine spicy notes. Crystalline and quite pure with good acidity and a spicy frill on the finish. Tending towards richness but still very fine. 92/100 (€18)

Cave de Tain Les Hauts d’Eole Crozes-Hermitage Blanc Selection Parcellaire 2023
13.5% alcohol. Plot selection, just Marsanne, with vineyards close to the Hermitage Hill. It’s the same as the Hermitage Maison Blanche, with loess soils. 8 months in barrel (400 litres). Lovely weight here with some appealing yellow plum and white peach fruit as well as some fine herbal notes. Lemon, pear and a touch of stony, savoury character, finishing with some firmness and a touch of oak, although this is in the background. There’s nice brightness here, and the finish is quite long with some salinity. 93/100 (€20)

Cave de Tain Noble Rives Crozes-Hermitage Rouge 2022
Blend of different terroirs, with mostly the pebbles from the south. Not much oak here. Half in stainless steel, half in oak. Sweetly aromatic with blackberries and cherries and a hint of pepper. The palate has lovely texture with fresh berry fruits, showing some pepperiness on the finish as well as a touch of spice. Very appealing ripe fruits dominate, but there’s freshness, refinement and some regional character too. 91/100 (€15)
Cave de Tain Cave de Tain Exploration Crozes-Hermitage Rouge 2022
13% alcohol. This is from small pebbles in the north of Chanos-Curson. They started making this in 2012. Concrete and stainless steel. Nice freshness here with stylish meaty, pepper black cherry fruit. There’s a sour cherry edge to the sweet black fruits palate with some herbal hints. Supple, fine and with meaty savoury notes as well as some olive and then black cherry and blackcurrant fruit. 93/100

Cave de Tain Les Hauts de Fief Crozes-Hermitage 2020
Plot selection. In 2020, a hot vintage, they chose more of the grapes from the northern part of the appellation. 60% from Larnage (white rocks) and a high terroir, Les Meijans (small alluvial pebbles, 30%), the 10% from Gervans (steep slopes of granitic soil). 16 months in 400 litre barrels. Bold, concentrated and richly fruited with some oak influence adding polish to the sweet, dark fruits with some grainy, dark, burly structure. There’s a meaty, bloody edge to the fruit here, and it finishes firm. Impressive. 93/100
Cave de Tain Les Hauts de Fief Crozes-Hermitage 2006
This is a different selection, with more from Les Saviaux, which is alluvial pebbles from the Rhône. One part was from Sept Chemins, and another from Larnage (the white soils). This was mostly new oak (they use just one-third now for the same wine). There were some from the white loess soils behind Hermitage too. Nice development here in a very classic oak-influenced fine wine style with some vanilla and cedar notes as well as textured black cherry fruit with a touch of blackcurrant, as well as some faint earthy notes. Well structured with some iodine notes as well as some wood influence. Finishes grippy. 91/100

Cave de Tain Cuvée Epure Crozes-Hermitage 2015
15% alcohol. Only made this vintage, a one-off cuvée. Lieu dit La Beaume, an alluvial terrace at high altitude that ripens late, with some red clay. 60 year old vines, yields of 25 hl/ha. Very concentrated wine that was mistaken in the winery for Hermitage, and this has a 25 day maceration. 18 months in a 1 year old barrel. Malolactic in barrel. Small production. Concentrated and intense with a gravelly, spicy edege to the sweet blackberry and cherry fruit with ripe fruit but also firm tannins. It’s dense an salty with massive intensity, and some warmth from the alcohol, but also beautifully defined blackberry and black cherry fruit. Sadly the vines were removed because of the low yields, making this a once off. 94/100
Cave de Tain
22, Route de Larnage – 26600 Tain-l’Hermitage
+33 (0) 4 75 08 91 86
CROZES-HERMITAGE
- Chapoutier
- Paul Jaboulet Aîné
- Maison et Domaines Les Alexandrins
- Cave de Tain
- Delas Frères
- Yann Chave
- Luc Tardy/Domaine du Murinais
- Domaine Combier
- Domaine Delhome
- Domaine Pradelle
- Antoine Graillot/ Domaine des Lises/ Domaine Alain Graillot
- Domaine des Hauts Châssis
- Domaine Belle
- Clairmont Cooperative
- Domaine Laurent Fayoll