Gilles Robin Saint Joseph Andre Péalat 2014

From vines planted 1966 on granite soil at about 300 metres altitude near Tournon. De-stemmed and vinified gently and aged in 600L barrel. Only 1000 bottles made.

“(casks, bottling Jan 2016) full, dark robe, legs visible. Soaked black berries, pork scratchings show on the nose which has an intense depth, with licorice and floral notes. This is one tasty meatball: it holds exuberant black fruit, lozenges, fruit such as cassis and blueberry, along with fine tannins, a good, quiet structure. This has good life and lift, is a real Road Runner. Its bonny fruit is very much on the go. From spring 2017. 2024-25  Dec 2015” Johnathon Livingstone-Learmonth 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.