Perhaps the Best Crozes-Hermitage Made
Buy Before the Price Hikes (25% Starting with 2014) Bring Him in Line with the Other Top Producers
USA EXCLUSIVE
"One of the superstars in Crozes Hermitage is Emmanuel Darnaud"
Jeb Dunnuck, The Wine Advocate
5/5 stars (St. Joseph)
John Livingstone Learmouth.
"Hats off to the team for this rocking Crozes Hermitage." - 93+,
Jeb Dunnuck, The Wine Advocate
Jeb Dunnuck, The Wine Advocate
We all know the Greek, Georges Lelektsoglou of Compagnie de l'Hermitage in Tain-l'Hermitage, the King of the Rhone who has sold the first bottles of every great Northern Rhone producer you know. Well, the King of the Rhone thinks that the 4 best producers of St. Joseph are Gonon, Chave, Gripa and today's offer, Emmanuel Darnaud. That is high praise from one of the greatest living experts on wines from the Northern Rhone.
Emanuel Darnaud trained with one of the best: Bernard Faurie a Northern Rhone legend whose Hermitage's are some of the best and most classic expressions in the appellation. That is a terrific mentor to have and Emmanuel worked under Bernard for 5 years and the evidence that he learned something is the two wines I am offering today. In fact for one of them, the 2013 St. Joseph, his father in law gave him the vines. Tended with loving care by Bernard Faurie and very old vines make up this St. Joseph which is up there with Gripa Berceau and Gonon as a top wine in St. Joseph.
A word on the Northern Rhone and pricing. I have very well placed sources that have let me know that prices with 2014 and especially 2015 will be going up. The quality is there for sure as 2014 is a "drink me but I am structured vintage" and 2015 they are so excited about they are making proclamations best since 1990, 1959, etc. 2013 is starting to look like a serious value especially if you know what you are buying. Emmanuel nailed it in 2013 and his prices will go up in 2014.
First, I can offer the 2013 Emmanuel Darnaud Crozes Hermitage "Au Fil Du Temps" for as little as $42.99 a bottle on a 3-pack. This is the best wine of the appellation and has never been offered in the USA. Emmanuel only makes it in the best years and in 2013 only 300 cases were made and I have a small amount. This is as headspinning as it gets and yes I will use the word twice but you will know what I mean once you taste a bottle. This is a powerful, rich and densely fruited and structured Crozes with that alluring headspinning floral/berry/olive/bacon Crozes nose. The Crozes nose cannot be reproduced anywhere in the Northern Rhone. This is just jumps out at you and grips the olfactory senses like only great Crozes can. There is lovely dark sweet fruit and evident ripeness and admirable purity but remains all in balance. There is serious brooding structure as well and brilliant tannins. I love the musky character as well here. Very incense like aromas. It can be drunk young but I think 3-5 years it really needs and will age for 20 easy. This is as compelling as any Syrah I have ever offered at Fass Selections. Jeb Dunnuck gave it 93+, which is highest rating for a 2013 Crozes. He also gave the 2012 a 95+. I was originally going to sell a lesser cuvee but got confirmation this morning on Emmanuel's top Crozes Cuvee. So I will be offering Emmanuel's best wines from each of the appellations that he works with as they both don't come into the USA because of the whole 3 tier price ceiling thing. If this Crozes came via traditional 3-Tier it would be $60+ for Crozes-Hermitage which most people won't go for. But $43 for the best wine in the appellation that will age for 20 years? Where do I sign up? Emmanuel is an expert at Crozes and buying this wine is like buying an expert Ferrari Maker's top limited edition car with all the stops pulled out and no expense is spared. These are the type of wines I live for. The best wines of slightly unglamorous appellations are always the best mid range QPR's ($40-$60 a bottle). Berlioz Cuvee Christine and Garaudet Monthelie Helios are but a few that I have offered and this Crozes can join that exclusive club. This is VERY Limited and will have to be allocated! Jeb's note is below. UNICORN CROZES HERMITAGE? Yep!
"Deep in color, the 2013 Crozes Hermitage Au Fil du Temps is easily one of the top handful of Crozes Hermitage in the vintage. It's inky, saturated purple color is followed by sensational notes of blackberries, plums, wood smoke and scorched earth. These flow to a medium to full-bodied, concentrated and structured Syrah that needs 3-5 years of cellaring, and will keep for two decades. It was completely destemmed, vinified in concrete tanks and spent 18 months in a combination of once-used, small barrels and demi-muids. Hats off to the team for this rocking Crozes Hermitage." - 93+, Jeb Dunnuck
Right now, Crozes is producing so many great wines and such reasonable prices to go with them. There is so much talent in Crozes that it feels like St. Joseph 15 years ago. I can attest as when I go to the Salon des Vins in Tain l'Ermitage and also taste around the quality level in Crozes is just astonishing. That is also why I have the pick of the litter when offering them as we haven't quite caught on here about Crozes. Not sure why. It's surely a different and lighter wine than St. Joseph, but just as terrific when going at full throttle which it really does with this 13. Really impressive Crozes and one of those appellations where every year I go and I taste better wines and more benchmarks.
Up next I have a minuscule amount and the wine will be allocated of the 2013 Emmanuel Darnaud St. Joseph VV for $39.99 on a 3-pack, from a parcel his father in law, Bernard Faurie, gave Emmanuel. This has vines up to 80 years old and this is from over in Tournon and the surrounding areas. This wine competes with the best of the appellation. It has never been offered before in the USA. The wine is insane and I can still taste it next to the 13 Gonon I drank next to it last Februrary. It has that old vine, granitic St. Joseph feel. The style is right in between the dark sweet fruit of Gripa and the old school classicism of Gonon. It is honest and rich as St. Joseph can get. Yet tense and stony with unreal tannin-acid collusion. Mark my words, this is pre unicorn. Only 400 cases or so made.
It is also has the coveted 5 stars from John Livingstone Learmouth. His review is below.
"well-filled, copious nose, mixes coulis, mulled fruits with a rounded sweetness and a note of roast beef. There is a small hint of violets, too, which is helpful. This is polished wine: the fruit runs along in appealing waves, and the second half shows oak, the persistence good. It is all going in the right direction, is a good, mouth-filling St Jo, an expressive northern Rhône Syrah. It is a confident bet - go and buy." ***** (JLL)
BOTH of these wines are extremely allocated so put in your requests and I will do my best.
2013 Emmanuel Darnaud Crozes Hermitage "Au Fil Du Temps" - $45.99 ($128.97 3-pack)
2013 Emmanuel Darnaud St. Joseph Vieilles Vignes - $41.99
($119.97 3-pack)
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