2018 Ferraton Père et Fils "La Matinière" Crozes-Hermitage

Professional Reviews

Staff Reviews

KM

Keith Mabry

Keith Mabry

K&L Buyer

This pristine Crozes fires on all cylinders with its spicy red fruit, aromas of incense and light bacon fatty qualities that define many of my favorite aspects of Northern Rhone Syrah. Medium-to-full bodied, the Matiniere is a text book version and for a price that is 30% below the market price, it is an absolute steal.

Notes

The history of Ferraton begins in 1946 when it was founded by Jean Orëns Ferraton. Acquiring vineyards in Hermitage, St-Joseph and Crozes-Hermitage. Son, Michel Ferraton joined his father years later and helped expand the estate's holdings. It was not until 1998 when the Godfather of the Northern Rhône, Michel Chapoutier, was welcomed as an investor in the winery and brought along his interests in organic and biodynamic farming. In 2008, oenologist Damien Bresset was added to the team and with his restrained hand, the wine began to truly express the best of the terroirs and their current profiles. Specializing in single site and appellation focused wines, Ferraton has one of the most exciting portfolios in the Northern (and a few surprise Southern) Rhône wines. "La Matiniere" is a mix of estate fruit with some sourced. All destemmed, it is fermented and aged in mostly concrete tank and a small amount of large oak barrels, mostly used. It is an enticing expression that sits well on any dinner table. Rhône critic, John Livingstone-Learmonth calls the Matiniere, “a wine to be the entry gate for drinkers to the Syrah of the northern Rhône.”