Crozes-Hermitage (13) Clairmont

February 19, 2025February 26, 2025 jamiegoode 526 Views

Clairmont is a small cooperative, and I met with Frédéric Borja, the President of the Clairmont cooperative, to taste through some wines. His grandfather, Leon Borja, created the cooperative with a friend in 1972. Now Frédéric is third generation to be running this. They have 14 growers, farming 130 hectares of vines, with 90% of these in Crozes-Herrmitage. They have vineyards in all the villages, and share a winemaker and cellar door/sales person in common. There are 9 staff in the winery and 40% of the vineyard area is organic, and many are taking an agroecological approach.

Leon was born in Algeria in 1914 when it was a French colony, and lost his father in the war. Leon left Algeria aged 50 to start his life again, and he planted a vineyard. He bought a domaine with an associate and bought poor land that wasn’t good enough for fruit trees, but which worked well for vineyards. He planted 32 hectares in 2 years.

Of the appellation Crozes-Hermiatage, Frédéric says that 30 years ago vines came a very distant second to fruit trees. But now people are much more focused on vineyards. There’s been a shift to organic farming and a lot of smaller wineries have emerged.

Clairmont Crozes-Hermitage Blanc Les Palais 2023
12% alcohol. Marsanne from alluvial soils with galets roulés. Full yellow in colour, this has a lovely rich texture with yellow plum, ripe pear and some melon notes. Really nice fruit focus with a nice acid line on the finish. Great balance here. 92/100

Clairmont Crozes-Hermitage Les Palais 2023
12.5% alcohol. From alluvial terrasses. This is vivid and distinctive with a concentrated, seductive blackberry and blackcurrant fruit core. It’s fresh and lush at the same time, offering lots of fruit, but there’s also a slightly beetroot/turned earth undercurrent that’s a bit of a distraction. 88/100

Domaine des Clairmonts Crozes-Hermitage Blanc Jardin Zen 2023
This is from two plots next to each other in Isère, one cobblestones, one loess. 50% Marsanne, 50% Roussanne. Frédéric’s uncle has a famous Japanese garden he started in 1972. This is ripe and powerful with peach and apricot fruit with notes of honey, toast and subtle cabbage. Broad textured but with some freshness on the finish. Tangy and bright with real precision. 94/100

Domaine des Clairmont Pionniers Crozes-Hermitage 2021
This is a collective cuvée from three villages. Maceration in concrete tank, then ageing in small oak (20% new). Nice energy here. Quite polished and rich with a saline undercurrent to the sweet black cherry and plum fruit. Black cherries and a hint of meat and some herby notes, finishing smooth. 92/100

Clairmont
+33 (0)4 75 84 61 91
@clairmontcrozeshermitage

CROZES-HERMITAGE

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