2022 E. Guigal Crozes Hermitage Rouge, Northern Rhone

The 2022 Crozes-Hermitage reveals sunny red and black fruits, pepper, garrigue, and leather in a round, delicious style. Made from 100% Syrah and partially aged in oak foudres, it shows medium to full-bodied richness and beautiful balance.

90-92 points Jeb Dunnuck

The Guigal story began in Ampuis in 1946, when Étienne Guigal established the domaine after working for Vidal Fleury. Today the family is one of the great reference points of the Rhône, and while the famous Côte Rôtie bottlings attract collectors, wines such as Crozes Hermitage show just how good the broader portfolio can be. Here Syrah is the star, with that unmistakable northern Rhône combination of dark fruit, pepper and savoury complexity.

Crozes Hermitage surrounds the hill of Hermitage and covers a diverse mix of soils and exposures. The 2022 vintage was warm and dry, producing generous fruit, yet Syrah in the northern Rhône retained enough freshness to keep the best wines balanced. Guigal’s style gives this plenty of polish and depth without losing the peppery, slightly wild personality that makes Crozes so appealing.

Deep ruby purple, opening with blackberry, black cherry and blueberry before violet and cracked black pepper take over. Black olive, liquorice, graphite and smoked meat sit underneath, with a flicker of dried rosemary adding another savoury note. The palate is medium to full bodied, juicy and structured, with dark berry fruit wrapped in fine, firm tannins. Pepper, olive and graphite gather towards a dry finish with just enough smoky character to have you reaching for another glass.

Try it with lamb kofta and sumac yoghurt, Korean beef bulgogi, duck and shiitake dumplings, pepper crusted tuna or grilled eggplant with miso and sesame. Our pick is the bulgogi, where the charred beef, sesame and sweet salty marinade play beautifully against Syrah’s blackberry and pepper.

Cellaring: Drink now to 2034.