97 Belle Crozes Pierrelles

B

BJ

BJ
Deliciousness itself. I like this cuvee as it is not oaked but comes from good stock, up in the northern country.

Even though I probably at the end of the day tilt toward the cooler northern Rhone vintages, 97 is a nice break of warmth. I am honestly not positive I would have ID'ed this blind as Syrah - at least northern Rhone Syrah - perhaps instead maybe a southern Rhone with lots of non Grenache grapes.
 
I see now I should have consulted JLL prior to sounding so authoritative. While the Louis Belle cuvee is from up north, Pierrelles is from the very southern plains tip of the appellation - nearly across from Cornas. Which makes sense given how the wine tastes.
 
Probably not in the way you would like, since most of the coolest places of the Crozes Appellation are in the southernmost part of it...
 
Soil mostly.

No more limestone and clay like in Mercurol or Granit like in Gervans. No more steep slopes facing the south. But flats of gravel with the Rhone groundwaters not far from the surface. Creates a cool microclimate near the surface.

Les Chassis is always ripe at least 10 days after Gervans, though 25 km more south.
 
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