The opinion of the wine taster
I discovered this prestigious wine when I visited the vineyards of the Rhone Valley. The syrah offers, in this case, a perfect equilibrium between fruits and tannins and it gives a strong wine with a beautiful aromatic intensity.
The terroir
The Hauts Chassis winery is located in the south of the area of the designation Crozes-Hermitage, in the village La Roche sur Glun. Crozes Hermitage is the most prestigious appellation of the northside of the Rhone Valley. The winery stretches for 32 acres where 29 are dedicated to the production of red wines. The soil is rich in glacial-fluvial sediments such as clay, sand and pebbles that have been transported by the glaciers and then by the rivers.
The grape variety
A cuvée 100% syrah, produced by 20 to 50 years-old vineyards. Syrah is the most common red grape variety in the Crozes-Hermitage region. A surprising fact: some winemakers sometimes blend the syrah with a maximum of 15% of white varietals such as Marsanne or Roussanne!
The vintage
The 2011 was a good year in the Rhone Valley, and in particular for the north of the Rhone wine region, less touched by the rain. The year was characterised by dryness and high temperatures that took grapes to an early maturity at the end of August or beginning of September.
The winemaker
Franck Faugiers runs the winery, family business since three generations. Passionate of rugby, Franck loves his work. He practices the environmental friendly viticulture with a real respect of fruits and vines and each year he participates to the hand-harvest with his team.
My VitiBox, July. 2013 / bottle
Sold by case of 3 and 6 bottles until the 31 August 2013. Delivery in 21 days;
The syrah here offers a perfect balance of fruits and tannins and give us a great wine.
