Product Profile
Maison de Grand Esprit Les Seize Galots Crozes-Hermitage 2007
Medium to Full-Bodied Dry Red Wine. 100% Syrah. Alc. 12.5%. Drink now or over next 2-3 years.
Tasting Notes
Les Seize Galets (‘The Sixteen Pebbles’) are the 16 legendary AOC villages dotted like stepping stones throughout the Rhône. For the last two centuries these historic villages have earned their reputation by producing wines based on quality and specific regionality. A feature of these vineyards is the use of large pebbles – galets – around the bases of the vines to absorb the heat of the sun during the day.
Les Seize Galets Crozes-Hermitage is sourced from the Juinique vineyard with an average vine age of fifty years. Winemaker Michel Tardieu matured the wine French oak (Allier and Tronçais) before hand-bottling it without fining or filtration. With a nose of black pepper, cedar oak, graphite and savoury elements and a palate of tight red fruits giving way to savoury game notes, earth, spice and more pepper this is classic French Syrah in a new world fruit body.
94 points James Halliday: "The colour is bright and clear, the bouquet and palate with waves of red and darker fruits enlivened by spice, black pepper and licorice. There are some earthy/gravelly notes from tannins that give the wine good definition and mouthfeel. Rating: 94 points Drink to 2013 Price: $45
Producer
Maison de Grand Esprit
Maison de Grand Esprit refers to a ‘Meeting of the Minds’ and epitomises a fusion of old world winemaking from France with new world techniques from Australia. It is one of the first luxury French wine brands to source wines from multiple regions across France – including Burgundy, the Rhône Valley, Alsace and Loire Valley.
The philosophy is about seeking the best of France; sourcing an amazing repertoire of wines from some of the most reputable regions and sought-after winemakers of fifth and sixth generation winemaking heritage. A new wave of cult French winemakers in collaboration with Australian counterparts who share stylistic parallels, take a contemporary approach to French winemaking – crafting more fruit focused wines which still retain the true nuances of each region’s distinct terroir and remain unmistakably French in style.