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: 2018 Domaine des Remizières "Cuvée Christophe" Crozes-Hermitage

2018 Domaine des Remizières "Cuvée Christophe" Crozes-Hermitage

SKU #1512706 94 points Jeb Dunnuck

Outer quote mark The 2018 Crozes-Hermitage Cuvée Christophe is one of the flagship releases from this estate. It always has a modern style, yet I never feel it loses any classic Northern Rhône character. Deep blue/purple, with a beautiful nose of cassis, spiced meat, pepper, and graphite, it's medium to full-bodied and has integrated background oak, plenty of mid-palate depth, and a great finish. It shows the ripe, sexy style of the vintage yet has acidity and tannins. Inner quote mark (11/2020)

93 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Outer quote mark Impressively dark and saturated, bursting with blackberries and cassis, the 2018 Crozes Hermitage Cuvee Christophe is an excellent effort. Full-bodied yet fresh, mouthfilling and intense, it delivers well above the norm for the appellation, adding a long, velvety finish to its considerable list of assets. Sourced from Larnage and aged in 70% new oak, the fruit has the requisite concentration to handle the wood for a decade or more of longevity. Bravo! (JC) Inner quote mark (5/2021)

93 points Wine Enthusiast

Outer quote mark Sprays of cinnamon, clove and cedar accent plush black currant and blueberry in this varietal Syrah sourced from vines averaging 65 years in age. Matured 15 months in a combination of new (70%) and oneyear old (30%) oak barrels, it’s a rich, sultry wine shaded by crushed stones, smoke and licorice. Ripe, silky tannins make it ready to enjoy now but this structured wine should improve through 2030. (AI) Inner quote mark (5/2021)

K&L Notes

The Desmeures family of Domaine des Remizières are fourth-generation winemakers who originally sold grapes to the local cooperative. After completing their winery in 1974, the family began production at their new property. The estate is now managed by Phillipe Desmeures, his daughter Emilie and son Christophe. They have expanded to 30 hectares with vineyards in Crozes-Hermitage, Saint-Joseph, and Hermitage. Emilie now oversees the winemaking, with her brother Christophe tending to the vineyards. The Cuvee Christophe is 100% Syrah from the predominantly limestone based soils in their holdings. The grapes are destemmed and fermented in large oak tanks and the wine is aged in a mix of new and used oak barrels. It is full bodied and inky in profile, deep and weighty on the palate and it has incredible, earthy depth and classic smoky pepper notes to round out its deep cassis fruit. Although this varietal can sometimes present a rather tannic front, Domaine des Remizières does an excellent job here, integrating and managing the tannin perfectly.

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2018 Domaine des Remizières "Cuvée Christophe" Crozes-Hermitage

Price: $34.99

Quantity:

Wine Club

$30.99

JD: 94

RP: 93

WE: 93

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Product Reviews:

By: Keith Mabry | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 2/1/2022 | Send Email

The "Cuvée Christophe" comes from the most select parcels of the Crozes portion of Remizières' property. The vines average around 65 years of age, all on clay-limestone soils. Like all past "Christophes," this follows a string of successful vintages that showcase the winery's focus on richness and depth of fruit. This should put it on the short list of collectibles from the region. The sexiness of the 2018 is self-evident with the first whiff from the glass of blueberry compote and wild lavender. The palate is saturated with this decadent fruit, but the tannins and acidity provide a seamless frame for it all to rest upon. Like all young "Christophes," this is approachable now with its polished mix of sweet and savory flavors (I drank a bottle over the course of two days to watch it open and unfold) but will weather well in the cellar for just a few years more. Another great vintage from our friends at Remizières!

By: John Majeski | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 3/14/2021 | Send Email

The Syrah grape has long had a love affair with the terrain, climate, and soils of the Northern Rhône, as evidenced by this extraordinary offering from Domaine de Remizières. Embellished with smoothly polished, almost velvety black fruits, with a generous core of cassis, pepper, tar, and wildflowers, this classic Rhône beauty will effortlessly grace your table and pair wonderfully well with a rich, spicy lamb and eggplant moussaka.

Additional Information:

Varietal:

Shiraz/Syrah

- One of France's noblest black grape varieties, Syrah is known for its intense and distinctive perfume reminiscent of briar fruit, tar, spice and black pepper and its firm structure. One of few black grape varietals frequently vinified on its own, the best examples of Syrah come from the Northern Rhône, particularly Hermitage, but also Côte-Rôtie, Cornas, Crozes-Hermitage and St-Joseph. These wines are very astringent in their youth, though some Crozes-Hermitage and St-Joseph can be enjoyed young, relatively speaking. Given the requisite patience, though, these wines can reveal amazing complexity and secondary fruit characteristics like plum and blackcurrant as well as subtle hints of smoke and flowers. In the Southern Rhône, Syrah is used to add structure and complexity to wines dominated by Grenache and complemented by Mourvèdre, like the more immediately drinkable Côte du Rhônes, as well as the long-lived wines of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. In recent years, plantings of Syrah have spread throughout the Languedoc-Roussillon where it is produced on its own or blended with other varietals. Outside of France, the most important Syrah growing country is easily Australia, where it is called Shiraz. Quality levels here depend greatly on yields and geography, and the wines range from bold, fruity and easy-drinking to intense and ageable, like the famed Penfolds Grange. Often bottled on its own, in Australia Syrah is also can be blended with Grenache and Mourvèdre, as in the Southern Rhône, and is increasingly combined with Cabernet Sauvignon. Syrah has also been steadily increasing in popularity in California, thanks to a group of advocates called the Rhône Rangers. Its most successful iterations come from the Central and Sonoma Coasts, where winemakers are pushing boundaries and creating some incredible wines. In recent years Syrah has also found a number of proponents in Washington State, which is definitely a region to watch for this variety.

Country:

France

- When it comes to wine, France stands alone. No other country can beat it in terms of quality and diversity. And while many of its Region, Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne most obviously, produce wine as rare, as sought-after and nearly as expensive as gold, there are just as many obscurities and values to be had from little known appellations throughout the country. To learn everything there is to know about French wine would take a lifetime. To understand and appreciate French wine, one only has to begin tasting them.

Sub-Region:

Rhone

- Legendary wine-producing region in southeast France. Stereotypically speaking, Rhone wines are high in alcohol, and the majority produced is red. The northern Rhone is best known for outstanding 100% Syrah wines from areas such as Cote Rotie and Hermitage, as well as for fabulous white wines from Condrieu (where Viognier is king). In the southern Rhone, look for spicy, full-bodied wines that are blends of Grenache, Syrah, and other varietals coming from appellations such as Chateauneuf du Pape, Gigondas, or Rasteau. Wines labeled as Cote du Rhone or Cotes du Rhone Village (a cut above generic Cotes du Rhone) are frequently found here in the US because they often represent some of the best values on the market.

Specific Appellation:

Hermitage/Crozes-Hermitage

Alcohol Content (%):