Domaine Combier, Crozes-Hermitage, Rhône, 2010

Tasting: Crozes-Hermitage 2010

Robust black fruits nose. Broad, fleshy, robust, with good concentration and weight. It’s quite austere and needs time to unfurl, but it seems balanced and coherent. It could use a bit more acidity and verve, but a good solid wine. Quite long.

Tasting: Crozes-Hermitage 2010

Dense colour, rather reticent aromatics then a palate which combines black fruit, garrigue and hints of liquorice and prune; slightly too lifted for my taste, this is nonetheless a benchmark example.

Tasting: Crozes-Hermitage 2010

The nose is creaky – the black fruit is peppery, but brittle, has a caramel, faint pong side note. Mature fruit on palate – a wine to drink soon before it starts to recede in length and dry in texture.