Crozes Hermitage Les Hauts Granites 2016

Stéphane Vedeaux, winemaker at this family-run winery, realises that you don't have to reinvent the wheel to make exciting wines. He respects history, he respects family (J.Boutin is named after his mother, Jeannine) and he respects terroir and this shines through in his wines. This Crozes-Hermitage juggles delicious minerality with delicate oak notes; fine and velvety tannins with complex, sweet berry fruit and a soft, lingering finish. So although it isn't an über modern style and can't do a handstand with no hands, it's still a bloomin' marvellous wine.

J. Boutin owner and winemaker Stéphane Vedeaux is a rising star of the Rhône Valley and his 50 ha of vineyards, mainly planted to old vines, are spread far and wide. He makes wine in the Southern Rhône, but his most seductive and profound wines come from the legendary appellations of the Northern Rhône. The Boutin wines, named after his mother Jeannine Boutin, are concentrated, pure and beautifully detailed. As elegant and thrilling expressions of truly awe inspiring terroir as it's possible to find.

His aim, as a winemaker, is to express the essence of the terroir and the quality of the old vine fruit in as pure a form as possible.

Vinified at the estate, the wine comes from grapes that are manually harvested, de-stemmed and then put into tanks with minimal sulphur added. Fermentation on the skin occurs over three to five weeks at a temperature of 22/23°C, with soft extractions and regular stirring of the lees. The wine is pneumatically pressed and then the free run wine is blended with the press wine. The wine is matured for 18 months, 20% in oak barrel and 80% in a tank.

With a dark, intense red colour and red fruits on the nose, the palate goes on to reveal exuberant, complex, sweet berry-like character. Good minerality is balanced by delicate oak notes. The tannins are fine and velvety and the finish is soft and lingering.