Drinking this Crozes-Hermitage reminded me that wine is made from grapes. Quite a “Eureka!” moment, I’m sure you would agree, but in the daily ebb and flow of the wine trade, you tend to forget that wine is made from something that has a primary purpose over and above that of being fermented for the pleasure of human beings. In nature, fruit is a lure. It’s made to attract birds and insects for the vital business of pollination. So, it needs to look, smell and taste good. Birds don’t read reviews or choose grapes with gold medals, they don’t do vertical tastings or keep cellar plans, they just want to eat tasty, ripe fruit and when I tried this wine, made from the Syrah grape, all of the extraneous noise that surrounds wine just fell away and I imagined how delicious the grapes on the vine must have been to produce such a heaven-scented, fabulously delicious wine, redolent of violets, black cherry, cassis, black pepper and loose tea. 12.5% alc. Drink now-2030.

Organic.

Press review:

JancisRobinson.com (previous vintage): “Beautifully fragrant nose – black pepper, sappy green-stem aromas, a bit of smoked meat and wonderfully pure plum fruit. Finishes with a charred-meat character and a gradual, perfumed fade. Very convincing.“ 17.5 points

Vinous (previous vintage): “Brilliant violet colour. Smoke-accented aromas of cherry, blackberry, violet and olive show very good freshness and are joined by a spicy nuance that builds in the glass. Silky in texture and sharply focused, offering spice-laced red and blue fruit flavours and a deeper liquorice note. The peppery quality comes back on the long, clinging finish that’s shaped by discreet, even tannins.” 92 points

The Wine Advocate (previous vintage): “Loads of black cherry fruit are nicely balanced by savory hints of licorice, espresso and black olives. Enjoy it over the next few years for its youthful exuberance—it's an ideal bistro-styled red.” 90 points