2021 Northern Rhône

Le Gréal is a unique wine, and one that has built up a loyal following for its decadent, statuesque style. 2021 is a departure from the norm. Unlike all previous vintages back to 2009 that have been made from 100% whole bunch fruit, this is 90% destemmed. It feels less massive than previous years, more juicy, bright, and balanced, though it has an echo of the wine’s signature spicy notes thanks to the 10% whole bunch Guillaume has kept in the blend. It harks back to a style Guillaume says was last found in the 1990s. It may be unlike the wines we’ve come to love from this domaine, but actually, is a delicious iteration in its own right. In spite of its slighter style, it should age fantastically. One thing that remains constant is the fruit’s origin: 90% is drawn from the lauded Le Méal parcel, at 10% from Les Gréffieux, on the Hermitage hillside, from vines dating back to the 1920s. A small amount of co-planted Marsanne amongst the Syrah adds freshness and mollifies the tannins.

This is usually a blend of two parcels, but in 2021 Bressands was hailed in August, meaning the yield here was decimated. So the heart of the wine is from Les Plantiers, just below Le Méal. Like the Crozes Hermitage, this was fully destemmed - a marked departure from the domaine’s usual style. It is sappy, salty, crunchy, and fresh. The floral tones make it more accessible than the Gréal, and mean it should start to open up a little earlier, too.

This is grown in kaolinite soils, a clay-limestone soil that only accounts for around 1% of Crozes-Hermitage. These white soils result in highly mineral wines. In 2021 Guillaume lost 40% of his crop to frost here, and unusually, applied full destemming to the fruit (the domaine is usually associated with whole bunch fermentation). The result is a fresh, crunchy, and vigorous Crozes, saline rather than spicy, and driven by a sappy minerality.