100+ Year Old Vines Crozes Rouges from the Greek - Grapes from a VERY Famous Producer

2019 Compagnie de L'Hermitage (Lelektsoglou) Crozes-Hermitage "Vieilles Vignes Gervans"

 - Right Behind Hermitage

 - Grapes from a "Very Famous Winemaker" 

 - 100+ Year Old Vines

 - Insane Concentration, Complexity and Balance

 - 160 Cases Made

 - 2019 Vintage of the Century

 - Competes Quality-Wise with Hermitage at Twice the Price

 - USA Exclusive

 - Dense Yet Delicate

 - Huge Structure But Yet Again So Delicate

 - From Gervans Which Is Locally Known as "petit Hermitage"

 - 2018 91-93+ Jeb Dunnuck

 - 2019 is Like a Hypothetical Blend of 2010/2018 

I know I blow up all your inboxes with with tons of Rhone wines but the wines made by the Greek under his wine shop’s label are some of the most special and also you’re not getting these from anywhere else. All of them drink higher than what they are supposed to and I have a special place in my heart for today’s wine as there is no Crozes like it. I could nail it blind in a lineup of 20 Crozes. The distinctive dark fruit character combined with the deep granitic character is just unmistakable. This is simply put a wine that drinks like $80 and is $42. But it’s more than that. It’s unique in that it leverages a historical wine shop and a person that is so ingrained into the history of the region and development of the region that this wine is almost a cheat code. Do not miss this.

Today I am privileged to sell the 2019 Compagnie l'Hermitage Crozes-Hermitage (Lelektsoglou) Vielles Vignes de Gervans for $41.99 a bottle on a 4-pack. The vines are very old (100 years plus) from an area called Gervans which is right behind Hermitage. The granite soils of Gervans are parallel to the great Hermitage Les Bessards. It's better than most Hermitage. It’s a top 3 Crozes since its debut in 15. There is no other Crozes like it. I’d rather have one bottle of this than 10 cases of Alain Graillot which seems to be the only Crozes available in most markets and I find it very mediocre. The area is called "petit Hermitage" by the locals. It's 5-10 minute drive from Hermitage central. There is no oak on the wine (steel vats) and Georges selects and vinifies the wine his way. The vines and terroir are from a very famous winemaker which is all I can say. There are only 2,000 bottles produced. Then it's gone. This is from very old vines and from arguably the top sector of Crozes-Hermitage. I just offered the last of the 2017 and now 2019 is here and it's crazy. Like a blend of 2010/2018 The nose is just insane. Huge and generous with deep berry/black cherry fruit and crushed deep granite. Gamey, feral, spicey, so comforting, gravy, pepper. White and black spice. So so complex. Olive. Huge granite. This is so deep, nuanced and very layered. Almost lurid. Dark flowers and mint. It's an amazing nose and transcends Crozes for how dark, serious and meaty it is. So complete. There is no way in hell anybody would ever guess Crozes blind. No way. It's too noble and has too much breeding. Really inky color only adds the allure. The palate is so deep yet so harmonious. Blackberry, black cherry fruit on a bed of granite. Stunning inner mouth aromas and one of those finishes that begins when you think it's going to end. Juicy and sensual with a musky inner mouth perfume. Big black and blue fruits. Opulent and rich but also fresh and energetic. So sappy and juicy with incredible density and sweetness. Awesome texture as well. Huge mineral spine. Stunningly well made wine that is absolutely delicious. Just lingers on the palate. This is top, top class Crozes. More like a Hermitage. So long. Amazing freshness and a granite expression like no other. The balance is extraordinary as well as the level of concentrated dense fruit. This is what Crozes can and will be. Crozes is the new St. Joseph. With the right terroir, old vines and sparing no expense (that's why only 2,000 bottles made as only the best for this wine) you can make world class and age-worthy wine (15+ years) from Crozes-Hermitage. This is as expected very limited. "The 2018 Crozes-Hermitage Vieilles Vignes De Gervans comes from some of the oldest vines in the Rhône Valley, grown on a steep, granite slope located just behind Hermitage Hill. This inky colored red offers a ripe, powerful, granite-laced style in its cassis and currant fruits as well as notes of scorched earth, graphite, and ground pepper. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated, and with plenty of tannins and granite character, it's going to needs2-4 years of bottle age." - 91-93+ PTS, Jeb Dunnuck (2018) 2019 Compagnie de L'Hermitage (Lelektsoglou) Crozes-Hermitage "Vieilles Vignes Gervans" - $43.99 ($167.96 4-Pack)