Jean-Baptiste Souillard Crozes-Hermitage 2020

Jean-Baptiste Souillard Crozes-Hermitage is drawn from granite slopes at the northern edge of the appellation, and only three or four barrels are made each year.

Crozes-Hermitage is by far the largest appellation of the northern Rhône, and most of it lies on flat alluvial and clay ground covered with the galets roulés familiar from further south; only around a tenth of it sits on granite. That granite is concentrated in the north around Gervans and Larnage, geologically the same Ardèche upland that reappears across the river as the hill of Hermitage. Souillard works there because the cold, rocky slopes give the purity and freshness he wants. The wine blends two Gervans parcels, one high on the slope on pure granite for freshness and one closer to the river on granite and gravel. Fermentation is mostly whole-bunch in stainless steel, followed by fourteen months in old barriques of between three and ten years. The style rests on structure, moderate alcohol and tension rather than plushness.

Drinking now and holding for eight years or so. Serve at 16-18°C with grilled lamb cutlets, steak au poivre or roast capsicum.

*Every effort is made to ensure the current vintage is accurate; however, variations can occur. If you are after a specific vintage, please contact us prior to ordering.