Crozes Ermitage, Les Varonniers, Maison M. Chapoutier 2014

One of my favorite Crozes Hermitage is Chapoutier’s les Varonniers which comes from a cool, west-facing terroir located just to the west of the famed Bessards lieu-dit in Hermitage. The inky color of the 2014 Crozes Hermitage les Varonniers is accompanied by Hermitage-like notes of graphite, currants, black raspberry, pepper and liquid violets. These give way to a medium to full-bodied red that has juicy acidity, excellent purity of fruit and ripe tannin. It has more depth than most in the vintage and will have 10-15 years of overall longevity.