2012 Crozes Hermitage Domaine Roure

Coming from a small three-hectare plot of granite soils in the northern part of the appellation (which is the prime terroir), the blockbuster 2012 Crozes Hermitage Domaine de Roure exhibits incredible minerality in its black raspberry, olive tapenade, spring flower, and subtle chocolate-laced aromatics. Tasting like it was filtered through a bed of rocks, it’s full-bodied, thrillingly concentrated and has superb underlying structure. In short, it’s a smoking Crozes Hermitage to drink anytime over the coming 15+ years. Unfortunately, there’s only 500 cases made.

Opaque purple. Powerfully scented aromas of black and blue fruits, Indian spices, olive tapenade and potpourri, with a strong undercurrent of zesty minerals. Juicy and sweet on the palate, offering potent blackberry and cassis flavors and a lavender pastille quality that gains power with air. Silky and emphatically floral on the finish, which features fine-grained tannins and resonating spiciness. Because of a pathetically low yield from this vineyard in 2011 there will be no bottling of this wine, by the way. (I had the opportunity to retaste the 2010 Roure and it's really a beauty, even at this young stage and from such an ageworthy vintage. There's lots of dark fruit and floral pastille character on display, as well as vibrant mineral and spice qualities. Odds are that it will shut down some time soon but for now it's pretty lovely. The 2009, on the other hand, is showing a massive, broad-shouldered personality--relative to other vintages of Roure--and deserves more aging. One could serve it with a rich lamb or beef dish, or maybe strong cheeses, but I'd resist temptation and reach for something else right now.)

Coming from a small three-hectare plot of granite soils in the northern part of the appellation (which is the prime terroir), the blockbuster 2012 Crozes Hermitage Domaine Raymond Roure exhibits incredible minerality in its black raspberry, olive tapenade, spring flower, and subtle chocolate-laced aromatics. Tasting like it was filtered through a bed of rocks, it’s full-bodied, thrillingly concentrated and has superb underlying structure. In short, it’s a smoking Crozes Hermitage to drink anytime over the coming 15+ years. Unfortunately, there’s only 500 cases made.||The revamped Jaboulet firm, under the leadership of Caroline Frey, seems to have settled in and are now producing one serious lineup of wines from throughout the Rhone Valley. eRobertParker.com.December, 2014