2020 Crozes Hermitage Domaine Roure
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Tasting notes
Coming from a west-facing, granite slope—basically an extension of Hermitage's Bessards—the 2020 Crozes Hermitage Domaine de Roure features aromas of hickory smoke and maple sugar but also appealing cassis and blueberry fruit and a bit of crushed stone. In the mouth, the wine shows some granitic austerity on its medium to full-bodied palate, framed by silky but firm tannins that make the wine more structured and straight than the Thalabert bottling.
Critic scores
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James Lawther MW, jancisrobinson.com
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
The 2020 Crozes Hermitage Domaine De Roure is more focused and austere, with some background wood in its darker berries, graphite, ground pepper, and bouquet garni-like nuances. It's medium to full-bodied, has firm tannins, terrific mid-palate depth, and outstanding length. It's another beautiful wine that will age gracefully.
Although still very young and quite tightly wound, this remarkable Crozes-Hermitage already has an enticing nose of red fruit and wild herbs. Both concentrated and quite fleshy on the mid-palate, before it turns more stony with a hint of tar at the long, focused finish. From 40 to 60-year-old vines. From biodynamically grown grapes.
Coming from more granitic soils, the 2020 Crozes-Hermitage Domaine De Roure is also solid, yet shows a more focused, fresh, leaner style. Classic granite-influenced blue fruits, peppery herbs, and violets dominate the nose, and it’s medium to full-bodied, with ripe yet building tannins and outstanding length. Both Crozes from this estate are outstanding wines in the making. While the wheels haven’t come completely off at this estate, there’s a significant drop in terms of quality starting with the 2019s and continuing with the 2020s. Whether this is simply COVID related or indicative of a larger issue is yet to be determined. To be sure, the wines are still well-made, but to have access to some of the greatest terroirs in the world and to be producing mid-weight, lean wines is disappointing to say the least.