Luc Beaudet “A Quatre Mains” Crozes-Hermitage Red 2018 - Rhône Valley, France

The Winemaker “This Northern Syrah exhibits a bouquet of blackcurrant, vetyver and violet. It shows a surprising roundness and a smooth texture.“

Produced from vineyards located in the communes of Crozes-Hermitage and Mercurol. AOP Crozes-Hermitage.

Crozes-Hermitage is an appellation of the northern Rhone valley in France. It covers a relatively large area on the eastern bank of the Rhone river, to the north and south of Tain L'Hermitage town. In 2011 almost 70,000 hl of wine were produced and sold under the Crozes-Hermitage title – more than the other seven northern Rhone appellations combined. The vast majority (around 90 percent) of Crozes-Hermitage wines are red, and made predominantly from Syrah (Shiraz).

Shiraz, also known as Syrah is a popular red wine. Though the spiritual homeland of this red grape is France, Syrah has been planted throughout the world to great success. It expresses itself differently depending on the climate, soil and regional style.

Syrah is typically bold and full-bodied, with aromatic notes of smoke, black fruit and pepper spice. Stylistically, it can be round and fruity, or dense and tannic. And in warmer New World regions like Australia, Syrah is most often be called Shiraz.

Winemakers who work in cooler-climate growing regions, both in the Old World and New World, tend to call their wines Syrah. The most famous examples come from the northern Rhône Valley of France, notably Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie. In the New World, in regions like Sonoma Coast, California; Yarra Valley, Australia; and parts of Chile, the wines are called Syrah because they emulate the leaner, acid-driven, savory styles of the Old World French classics.