Domaine du Colombier 2017 Crozes Hermitage Rouge 750ml

The base cuvée, the 2017 Crozes-Hermitage is a winner in 2017 and readers should snatch it up. Revealing a deep purple color as well as classy notes of blackberries, cassis, toasted spice, gravelly earth, and ground pepper, it hits the palate with medium to full body, a supple, elegant texture, terrific balance, and a great finish. It can be enjoyed today or cellared for a decade.

Score: 92 points -- Jeb Dunnock, jebdunnock.com, 2019

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Brothers Florent and David of the Domaine du Colombier produce some of the most respected wines from the Crozes Hermitage appellation, as well as from Hermitage itself, where they own 1.5 hectares of vineyard in the Beaumes lieu-dit. Grape growers before they were winemakers, the family used to sell grapes to large players in the region like Guigal, but have been bottling their own product since 1992. True to their fruit farming heritage, the Viales continue to farm apricots as well as grapes.