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2019 M. Chapoutier Crozes-Hermitage Les Varonniers, 1.5ltr

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Latest Sale Price

May 5, 2024 - $100

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RATINGS

96James Suckling

Deep, smoky, minty and spicy nose that expands and expands as it aerates, gaining ever more earthy complexity. Stunningly concentrated and focused palate with so much bitter chocolate and black cherry, but even more power. Giant finish that’s astonishingly refined for this appellation.

95Vinous / IWC

Expansive aromas of ripe blackberry, cherry liqueur, licorice, vanilla and candied violet are energized by exotic spice and mineral flourishes. Broad and fleshy on the palate, offering densely packed, smoke-laced black and blue fruit, mocha, olive paste, exotic spice and floral pastille flavors that show fine detail and mineral lift. The impressively long, smoky finish echoes the floral and mineral notes and is framed by steadily building, even tannins.

95+ Jeb Dunnuck

...pure cassis, graphite, and peppery aromatics as well as a rich, full-bodied, concentrated style on the palate.

92The Wine Advocate

...intense aromas of cherries and vanilla, plus hints of cassis and pencil shavings... Full-bodied, dense and rich, it's firmly tannic, with a long, dusty finish.

17.5+ Jancis Robinson

Really expressive – vivid black-olive tapenade and smoked sandalwood. A sense of freshness and fine cedary tannins with gaminess, smokiness and blackberry. Opulent but not unbalanced and a long creamy compote finish.

PRODUCER

M. Chapoutier

Founded in 1808, M. Chapoutier is one of the most renowned producers of the Rhone Valley. Though the producer was for much of its history a negociant known for decent but unremarkable wines, the newest generation of the Chapoutier family to run the business, Michel Chapoutier, has since the early 1990s turned the estate into a star. Michel embraced biodynamic viticulture in 1989, completely renovated the cellars and upgraded the elevage by using small oak barrels. With 151.9 acres of vineyards divided between the north and south regions of the Rhone Valley, M. Chapoutier is also one of the largest producers. Nearly 120,000 bottles total are produced each year. The prestige cuvees at the top of the M. Chapoutier line are neither fined nor filtered, giving them a richness and great concentration. Grapes grown by the estate are Syrah, Marsanne, Grenache, Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Bourboulenc and Roussanne. The vines average between 50 and 100 years old.

REGION

France, Rhône Valley, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage

The Northern Rhône Valley wine region hugs the Rhône River from Vienne in the north to Valence at its southern tip. The French call the region Côtes du Rhône Septentrionales, and it is divided into eight appellations. Along with its neighbor to the south, the Southern Rhone Valley, it is famous for its big, tannic, intensely concentrated wines. Syrah is the only red grape permitted in AOC wines from this sub-region, though the Syrah can be blended with the white wine grapes Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne, depending on the regulations for each AOC. White wines are made from Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne. Of the eight appellations in the north, the most admired wines tend to come from Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu and Hermitage, though there are certainly exceptional wines to be found in St. Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage, St.-Peray, Crozes-Hermitage and Cornas. Along with Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne, Rhône wines are among France’s best known and most collected wines. Red wines from these appellations are notable for their signature aromas of bacon and green olives, and for their depth. Robert M. Parker, a great champion of Rhone wines, has written that “the northern Rhône produces three of the greatest wines in the world – the white wines of Condrieu and the red wines of Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage.”

TYPE

Red Wine, Syrah (Shiraz)

This grape is grown in milder climates and produces a medium-to full-bodied wine. It is also known as Shiraz, but should not be confused with Petit Sirah, which was developed by crossing Syrah with Peloursin.