Château le Devay Crozes-Hermitage 2023
£31.25
The wine
Wonderful finesse, with blueberry, black pepper, spiced plum and violet.
The Syrah comes from sites at Tain-l Hermitage. Crozes-Hermitage is the largest appellation of the northern Rhône at over 1,300 hectares, spread around the hill of Hermitage itself, and it is where northern Rhône Syrah remains affordable. Château le Devay sits between 340 and 400 metres in the Ardèche hills, west of the Rhône and higher than the valley floor.
The producer
Château le Devay
View all Château le Devay winesChâteau le Devay is a northern Rhône estate crafting wines from the steep, granite hills above the river between Vienne and Valence. It works with the region's two noble grapes, Viognier for the whites and Syrah for the reds. This is Rhône winemaking on a human, artisanal scale.
The vineyards range from the everyday Collines Rhodaniennes hills to the celebrated crus of Condrieu and Crozes-Hermitage. Granite and schist soils on sun-facing slopes give the wines their mineral drive and concentration. Steep terraces demand painstaking, often manual work.
In the cellar the approach is precise and respectful, letting each site speak. The Viogniers are perfumed and textured, the Syrahs peppery and pure. Oak is used with restraint, always in service of the fruit and the terroir.
From a fragrant Condrieu to a peppery Crozes-Hermitage, le Devay offers the northern Rhône in miniature. Perfumed, mineral and beautifully balanced, these are wines that capture the drama of the region's granite slopes.
