2010-CROZES-HERMITAGE-Cuvée-Papillon-Domaine-Gilles-Robin

CROZES HERMITAGE

2010 Cuvée Papillon Domaine Gilles Robin

Grapes Syrah
Colour Red
Origin France, Rhône
District Northern Rhône
Village Crozes Hermitage
ABV 13%

From the young Syrah vines that are eventually destined to make the cuvée Albéric Buvet, Papillon is a more juicy and spicy version for drinking on its youthful crunchy fruit. L&S (Jun 2011)


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Bright purple. Ripe cherry and dark berries on the nose and palate, with a subtle peppery note adding bite. Smooth and open-knit wine with good finishing punch and a gentle touch of warmth. This easygoing, forward wine is already drinking well. Rating: 88 Josh Raynolds, Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar (Mar 2012)

Made from young vines for early drinking, this is smoky and earthy, with a cool, herby, mint leaf lift. It has a certain meatiness and a juicy, sweet fruited mid-palate, and it is long and really nicely balanced, with a freshness to the acid and tannin structure, but a cherry delicacy too. A delight. The Wine Gang - www.thewinegang.com (Nov 2011)

There could hardly be a more appetising introduction to 2010 northern Rhône red than this early drinking cuvée from the energetic Gilles Robin of Mercurol. It sees no oak and is bottled in May, after light micro-oxygenation to avoid the reduction to which Syrah is prone, according to John Livingstone-Learmonth in his superb The Wines of the Northern Rhône, and the idea is to provide us with pure pleasure. I would love to drink this any time over the next two years, but can’t see much point in ageing it because it is already so pure and flattering with admirably polished tannins and lovely sappy fruit. This is obviously a particularly ripe vintage so is wonderfully accessible already. At 13% alcohol, it is slightly stronger than some northern Rhône wines but hardly excessive.Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Oct 2011)

Domaine Gilles Robin

Gilles Robin took over the running of this vineyard in 1996, with the freedom to produce his own wines. With a history of winegrowing spanning four generations, Gilles' aim was to realise the potential of the 35-year-old vines. He immediately used only natural fertilizers and reduced yields to just 40 hectolitres per hectare (8/10 bunches per vine) to give a richer concentration of fruit and quality. A new winery was built into the ground to allow the wines to be moved delicately by gravity, rather than being pumped. Gilles' vineyard now extends to Saint Joseph (where he makes a tiny volume) and Hermitage. The core vineyard averages forty years old, and the wines gain in subtlety and balance with every vintage.

Gilles says of his wines, 'there is not a unique Syrah but rather a full spectrum of characteristics and potential expressed by Syrah varieties', to which might be added 'the spectrum of flavours of Syrah on different terroirs' as well, because his vineyards encompass the range of styles the appellation can produce. The 'Rochas' vineyard has deep soils which make for big wines with rustic tannins which take time to soften. It always produces tiny grapes which need fairly strong extraction to get the best of their deep, wild black fruit and spice notes. The 'Monico' vineyard is made up of broken-up rock and little pebbles and a deep clay. The clay retains water well and this is perfect for hot summers. A higher-toned red and black fruit character, ripe blackcurrant and blackberry, with elegant rather than massive tannins. Finally, the 'Terres Rouges' vineyard is made of gravels and red clay, typical of the 'Terrasse des Châssis'. The Syrah here displays finesse, elegance and aromatic complexity. The strong iron monoxide content of this plot enables a maximum phenolic maturity. Intense colour, with purple highlights, aromas of violets, black fruits, sweet spices (pepper, nutmeg) and slightly smokiness. On the palate, this Syrah has silky tannins and fine minerality.

All of these styles together make for beautifully balanced wines, the different cuvées emphasising the differing characteristics of primal fruit and sophisticated and complex depth.

The vineyard has been organic since 2009.

This wine isn't currently part of a mixed case, but you can always browse our full selection of mixed cases here.
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