Rhône producer to know: Domaine Laurent Habrard, Crozes-Hermitage

It’s inevitable that very large appellations have some quarters that are more favourable than others. So it is with Crozes-Hermitage.

Most of the land consists of a succession of deep alluvial terraces, and these soils can produce concentrated, expressive Syrahs. But there’s a chunk of granite at its northly apex – the historic heart of the appellation – that delivers wines of unusual finesse.

This is where Laurent Habrard is located, in the village of Gervans.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for five Domaine Laurent Habrard wines

He’s the fifth generation to work the estate, having taken over the reins in 1998.

He farms the land organically, and is now incorporating biodynamic methods as well, which he describes as ‘another world’. He destems the grapes and doesn’t add sulphites until bottling.

He has a little of both types of terroir: southern alluvials and northern granite. In blending them together makes some beautifully balanced Crozes-Hermitage, vivid and precise wines of great balance and drinkability.

He occasionally selects particular barrels for longer élevage, naming them after members of his team. These are particularly worth looking out for – wines with personality in more ways than one.

White Crozes-Hermitage

His 2.5 hectares of Marsanne and Roussanne for his white Crozes-Hermitage are all planted on a patch of sandy loess in Gervans, which makes for a crisp, precise style.

Other cuvées are his excellent red Saint-Joseph from the outstanding lieu-dit Sainte-Epine, and a white Hermitage Les Rocoules from a parcel of 100-year-old Marsanne bought from the son-in-law of President de Gaulle in the 1970s. It’s a soft, floral, pillowy style of Hermitage with a saline core.

His latest project from 2019 is a red Crozes-Hermitage with no added sulphites at all. Habrard is an endlessly curious vigneron whose wines get better and better.

Matt Walls’ Domaine Laurent Habrard tasting notes and scores:

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