Crozes-Hermitage (9) Domaine Combier

February 18, 2025February 26, 2025 jamiegoode 491 Views crozes-hermitage, Northern Rhone

Here we met with the impressive David Combier. This domaine was begun by David’s great grandparents in 1932, but until the late 1980s their focus was mainly on fruit production: peaches, apricots and cherries. Then in 1989 David’s parents took over and shifted the focus towards wine. The first vines were planted here in 1952, at the beginning of the expansion of the appellation. But when they took over the farm was 25 hectares of fruit trees and 6 hectares of vines. Now it is 57 hectares of vines (with 2 of these in St Joseph) and 6 hectares of fruit trees. This is a common story in Crozes-Hermitage. Combier, along with others like Alain Graillot, pushed for better quality in the appellation.

Farming here is organic, and this is something David’s parents started in 1967, so they were ahead of the game. The estate is still managed by them, along with David and his brother Julien (who is more focused on viticulture).

David has plenty of international experience, something that the next generation here in Crozes-Hermitage have been busy getting. He travelled from 2018-2022, taking in South Africa (Reyneke and Waterford), Spain (Vega Sicilia), Bourgogne (Domaine Leflaive and Olivier Leflaive), New Zealand and Argentina.

There’s quite a focus on alternative elevage here. They were early adopters of Nomblot concrete (1999) and the Wine Globe (2019), and have some Oeuf de Beaune concrete, too.

The red wines are made from grapes that are destemmed, with no crushing. Ferments are all wild.

Laurent Combier Cuvée L Crozes-Hermitage Blanc 2023
13% alcohol. 100% Marsanne, from younger vines, aged in stainless steel. They also buy some grapes for this. Lovely intensity of rounded pear, apricot and melon fruit with a roundness in the mouth and a fine spicy frame. Nice depth, with freshness and focus and a nice fine spicy finish. Lovely balance. 92/100

Domaine Combier Crozes-Hermitage Blanc 2023
13% alcohol. 80% Marsanne, 20% Roussanne, a blend of granite and pebbles, 25-98 year old vines. Barrels, foudres, stainless steel and wine globes. Refined with a stony edge to the melon, pear and white peach fruit with some mineral dimension and a subtle savoury edge. Precise and expressive. 93/100

Famille Combier Cap Nord Crozes-Hermitage Blanc 2023
A blend of 50% Roussanne, 50% Marsanne, the former aged in wine globes and the latter in foudres. A full-south facing plot in Mercurol. Fine and focused with pear, aniseed, white peach and some crystalline citrus fruit. Lovely fruit here with a hint of mint on the finish. Textural and bright, with good energy and some salinity. 94/100

Domaine Colombier Clos Des Grives Crozes-Hermitage Blanc 2023
Located here in Pont d’Isère, the first vines planted by David’s grandparents in 1952. 100% Roussanne, vinified and aged in barrel, one third new. This has great energy with fresh mineral, spicy notes and some pear and white peach, as well as some good acidity. Finely spiced and barely shows the oak influence. 94/100

Famille Combier Cap Nord Crozes-Hermitage Blanc 2022
A warmer vintage that wasn’t easy for the whites. Dense and nicely textured with aniseed and pear with a savoury, stony edge. There’s nice flesh here with good density of flavour, finishing with some stony detail. 92/100

Domaine Colombier Clos Des Grives Crozes-Hermitage Blanc 2022
Vivid and quite taut with some sweet pear fruit and then some vivid cherry and plum notes. Fresh with some mineral hints and then a touch of herbiness. Bold and still quite compressed. 92/100

Laurent Combier Cuvée L Crozes-Hermitage 2023
There’s brightness and some grip here, with freshness to the cherry and berry fruit and savoury pepper and dried herb notes, and a touch of iron and stony mineral character. Juicy and vibrant with lots of pleasure. 93/100

Laurent Combier Cuvée L Crozes-Hermitage 2022
Young vineyards from many locations, including some brought-in fruit. Concrete vats, then old barrels and eggs. 60% concrete, 40% barrels. Olive, spice and meat on the nose with sweet berry fruits. The palate is vibrant and ripe with juicy black cherry and raspberry fruit with some pepper framing to the sweet fruit, finishing fresh and spicy. Lovely weight. 93/100

Domaine Combier Crozes-Hermitage 2022
Vineyards just in Pont d’Isère, with clay and pebbles, planted 40 years ago, meant to be a classic style. 12 months in old barrels. Complex, meaty, spicy and savoury with a lovely black cherry and blackberry character as well as olive and pepper notes. Sweetly fruited but with a lovely spicy, almost angular counter. There’s depth as well as focus to this wine which delivers real intensity. 94/100

Laurent Combier Cuvée L Crozes-Hermitage 2022
Vivid, bright and grippy with lovely raspberry and cherry fruit, some sour cherry, nice pepper and meat, and a twist of olive. There’s brightness, energy and structure here: it has lots of local personality. Upright and intense, finishing fresh. 94/100

Domaine Combier Cap Nord Crozes-Hermitage 2022
Garvons and Serves-sur-Rhône in the north, on granite soils. Fresh, brooding and dark with some crushed rock and spice, and sleek but intense red cherry and plum fruit. There’s some black fruit richness and intensity, but also a grounding spicy minerality and some slight wildness (could be heading towards brettiness, which is often a problem here, as this has a pH of 3.9). A remarkable expression of Crozes that has lots of potential. 95/100

Domaine Combier Clos des Grives Crozes-Hermitage 2022
8 hectares of Syrah in Pont d’Isère. All oak aged, one-third new. Fresh and refined with some peppery detail, showing bright raspberry and red cherry fruit with nice energy. Subtly spicy, with a hint of meat, and nice direct structure and acidity. Lovely focus and brightness with stony mineral characters weaving in with the fruit. Very refined and direct, with good ageing potential. 95/100

Domaine Combier Saint-Joseph 2022
They have 2 hectares of Saint-Joseph. This is 50-80% whole bunch. This was a big evolution here which has always been destemmed. Lovely intensity with a savoury, peppery edge to the floral black fruits and some nice spicy depth. There’s a touch of charcoal and crushed rock. Nice brightness and focus on the finish. Such a lovely, layered wine. 94/100

Domaine Combier Cap Nord Saint-Joseph 2022
A small 0.5 ha plot north-facing near Tournon. Lovely aromatics: olive and spice with some raspberry and red cherry notes. Fine and detailed with brightness and focus, showing beautiful perfume but also some stern structure and acidity. Very fine and expressive. 95/100

Domaine Combier
1440, Route de Lyon – 26600 Pont de L’Isère
+33 (0) 4 75 84 61 56

CROZES-HERMITAGE

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