Crozes Hermitage rouge Les Croix Vieilles Vignes 2019

Domaine Les Bruyères was founded in 1955 by Georges Reynaud. Until 2002, the grapes were sold to the local cooperative, when grandson David took over the business and turned it completely upside down. He switched to organic and biodynamic farming and banned everything from the cellar that contradicted his idea of an originally produced wine. The farm is located on the banks of the Isère in the Crozes-Hermitage appellation and today covers 20 hectares of vines.

The Crozes-Hermitage Les Croix consists of 100% Syrah with an average age of 60 years. The vinification takes place traditionally in raw concrete tanks. After a maceration of 28 to 32 days, the wine is pressed with a vertical press at low pressure and then aged for 18 months on fine lees, 12 months of which in used barriques followed by six months in concrete tanks.

Muted ruby red with violet reflections and black core.

Dark-fruited and almost impenetrable, the 2019 Les Croix Vieilles Vignes by David Reynaud smells of crème de cassis, crème de mure and wild blueberries. This is joined by some plum jam with mild spices reminiscent of cinnamon, cloves and allspice. Floral accents are set by hibiscus and lilac, dark chocolate together with dark tobacco provide spicy bass. Compact and complex.

With fleshy extract and concentrated fruit, Les Croix opens on the palate and puts many Northern Rhône Syrahs in this price segment on the back foot. The dark, almost black fruit is tartly contoured, adding to the impression of high-proof dark chocolate. The tannins are ripe and polished, tightly woven and dense, giving it nobility and a certain aristocratic feel with a peppery spicy twist. This admittedly impenetrable conglomerate flows across the palate with such speed and finesse that active swallowing is actually superfluous.