Saint Cosme Crozes Hermitage

Crozes Hermitage bottle image

Wine Description

Château de Saint Cosme is the leading estate of Gigondas and produces the benchmark wines of the appellation. The property has been in the hands of the Barruol family since 1490. Louis Barruol took over from his father in 1992 making a dramatic shift to quality and converting to biodynamics in 2010.

The estate lies in the heart of Gigondas where 15 hectares of vineyard grow in the shade of the Dentelles de Montmirail mountain. In addition to the estate-grown wines labeled “Château de Saint Cosme,” Louis Barruol buys grapes from contracted growers, labeling these “négociant” wines simply as “Saint Cosme.”

Saint Cosme Crozes-Hermitage is produced from 100% Sérine, an ancient and local variety of Syrah that is markedly different from modern selections. It is more oval, with lots of space in the bunch, resulting in a very aromatic wine. It is sourced from the hillside vineyards of Erôme, Gervans, and Larnage in the northern part of the appellation. It is made from 100% destemmed grapes, fermented with indigenous yeasts, aged in 20% new 228-liter barrels, and bottled without fining or filtration.

Saint Cosme Stone Sign
Chapel de Saint Cosme
WInemaker Louis Barruol
Oak Barrels
Chai de Saint Cosme
Aerial View of Chapel de Saint Cosme
Winemaker Louis Barruol
Le Poste Vineyards and Dentelles de Montmirail
Father and Son, Henry and Louis Barruol
Gigondas Bottle
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Acclaim
“This has attractive poise and very focused feel. The granite is very important, driving a succulent feel and delivering focus to the fruit and tannin. Dark berries, dark cherries and spiced plums abound and there’s a smooth and fresh feel to the tannins. Very vibrant with plenty of flavor and dark stones, graphite and toasted spices to close.”
— James Suckling, Oct 2019
“The beautiful and sultry 2017 Crozes from Louis Barruol at Chateau de Saint Cosme is highly entertaining, complex and remarkably easy to quaff even now in its infancy with classic terroir influences and warmly ripe dark fruits, making for a seductive 100% Serine heirloom clone Syrah. Barruol, famous for his estate Gigondas southern Rhone wines, loves his northern Rhone negotiant bottlings, especially his Crozes-Hermitage notes that Syrah at Crozes-Hermitage shows (us) what the balance of a Syrah can and should be, suffused with freshness and pretty peony aromas, and a salty palate that gives depth, but unfurls with no heaviness. I wholeheartedly agree and this vintage has it all and more showing layers of pepper laced blackberry, blueberry, black currants and damson plum fruits along with crushed violets, graphite, loamy earth and black licorice to start with a nice burst of acidity, satiny tannin, a touch of cedar and sweet smoke, all with a vinous textured elegance.”
— Grape Live, Oct 2019
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Vineyard & Production Info
Soil composition
Granite
Training method
Gobelet
Elevation:
726 feet
Vines/acre:
3200
Yield/acre:
0.5 tons
Exposure:
Western
Harvest time:
End of September
First vintage of this wine:
2009
Bottles produced of this wine:
10,000
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Winemaking & Aging
Varietal composition:
100% Syrah
Maceration technique:
Pumpovers
Fining agent:
None
Type of aging container:
Barrels
Size of aging container:
228 Liters
Length of aging before bottling:
12 months
Age of Aging Container:
20% New
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Analytical Data
pH level:
3.7
Acidity:
3.5 g/L
Alcohol:
13.9 %
Residual sugar:
1.5 g/L