Crozes-Hermitage comes from the gentle incline to the south of the hill of Hermitage, at Tain on the banks of the Rhone. White Crozes is made from Marsanne often with a splash of Roussanne. Red Crozes is 100% Syrah.
Trying to find David Reynaud’s Domaine was the catalyst for us investing in Sat Nav. Pre TomTom, we got quite lost, criss-crossing the wide Rhone, finding ourselves outside hydro-power stations and then in the middle of nowhere. Eventually David’s mother Marceline was despatched to retrieve us from the village playground. Marceline took over her in-laws’ vines in 1998. Her husband has no interest in the soil and remains a local banker. Her son David joined her in 2000 and they decided to go biodynamic. First vintage was 2003. Serious wines. Big, but not too big, thanks to the cooling effect of the mountains. Mountains that were not visible that rainy day.
When we visited again recently, in the sweltering late August heat, we spotted his latest Viognier and Syrah, tasted them and promptly added both to our pallet (which also included his new Cornas). The other thing we spotted in the cellar was a red St Joseph 2011 which will be released in 2013.
