2016 Gilles Robin Crozes-Hermitage 1920 Vines, Northern Rhone Valley

Deep robe. The nose gives a sleek, refined air of black cherry fruit that appeals via its precision. There is light oaking. The oak is more prominent on the palate, where the black fruit retains a neat, stylish nature. This is polished, very modern Crozes, all very trim. It floats along well. From late 2017 – oak infusion is required. 2023-24 .

drinkrhone.com October 2016

Gilles Robin

The Robin family have grown grapes in Crozes-Hermitage for generations, but until 1995 they were always sold to the local cooperative in Tain l'Hermitage. Today, Gilles estate bottles his entire production and consistently produces some of the very best wines of this appellation. Gilles has just 15 hectares, however most of those vineyards are fully mature at more than 40 years old.

The estate has several plots of land in the favoured ‘Les Chassis’ district just south of the Hermitage hill. The soils in this area consist of large amounts of smooth pudding stones ‘galets’ and red clay from the route the Rhône river once flowed. These richer clay based soils give a wine that is typically rounder and more generous than from some other areas of the appellation.

Owing to the large amount of mature old vines at this estate most of the wine produced is of the premium “Alberic Bouvet” cuvee. This cuvee is produced from vines averaging 40 years age. Picking is done by hand and yields are kept low at around 38 hl/ha. In the ripest years a small percentage of stems are allowed in the ferment and the wine is aged in barriques (and increasingly in larger 450 litre barrels) for about 15 months with about 15% new barrels used each year.