Crozes-Hermitage and its new generation: exploring the largest of the appellations in the northern Rhône

Early on in my journey into wine I fell in love with Syrah from the northern Rhône. The problem was that there were quite a few stylistic differences, with only some producers making ethereal perfumed Syrah of the kind that captivated me, and also the fact that this is a relatively small region, so the wines were hard to track down. But there’s some good news: the quality in the previously lesser-regarded parts of the Rhône has increased massively over recent years, and so there are plenty of good wines, and lots of choice for wine geeks. This was confirmed on a recent visit to the region.

Lagnage, in the older part of the appellation. The vines in the foreground have been tressaged

Crozes-Hermitage is the largest of the northern Rhône’s appellations, by some distance, with 2007 hectares under vine (these are the official 2023 figures), and in recent years it has expanded quite a bit, adding over 200 hectares in the last five years, although this growth now seems to be slowing. Yann Chave says that with 10% fruit trees and 10% forest, there’s little room for further growth.

It’s also one of the more complex and heterogeneous of the Rhône’s regions. Back when the appellation was established in 1937, it was quite small, and included vineyards around the village of Crozes-Hermitage, in what’s now the north of the appellation. This is slightly cooler, hillier country than what is now the main part of the appellation, and the soil types are more granitic. This northerly part includes Érôme, Serves-sur-Rhône, Gervans, Crozes-Hermitage and Larnage. There are also some interesting loess/white kaolin soils here near Larnage that are particularly good for whites. Around 25% of Crozes-Hermitage is on slopes: vineyards on the flatter areas have grown significantly because of the ease of working there.

The main part of the appellation, added in 1952, consists of old alluvial terraces, and it’s quite flat. Close to the Rhône river we have a distinctive, typically Rhône-like quaternary terraces with cobble stones. Further west, most of the alluvial activity comes from the Isère, which frames this plateau to the west and south. This area is flatter and has more free-draining soils, and it’s also a bit warmer. But there are also some very interesting terroirs here. It used to be mainly a tree fruit area (apricots, peaches and cherries), but the vineyard area here has expanded substantially. In the past, fruit growing came first and vines second, but this has changed, and vines are now winning out. The plains are much easier to farm, and many of the vineyards are mechanized, and quite a few are machine-picked.

Gervans, in the north
Peach trees, which used to cover even more of Crozes than they do today

Add into the mix the different stylistic choices of growers, and you can see that understanding Crozes-Hermitage necessitates a more parcellated vision than simply pan-appellation generalizations.

In this series, I’m writing up producer visits and also a big tasting of wines from Crozes, focusing on more recent vintages. I’m also taking a special look at the next generation of winegrowers in this dynamic region.

CROZES-HERMITAGE

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