Product Review
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the 2010 Hermitage Ex Voto is as good as it gets. Following some of the most concentrated, rich Cote Roties ever made, it still ratcheted up the concentration level with its massive, palate saturating levels of gamey dark fruits, cassis, licorice, chocolate, graphite and powdered rock. If this beauty doesn’t make fireworks go off in your head, I don’t know what will. Full-bodied, deeply concentrated and structured, yet also fine, elegant and delineated, it is nothing short of incredible. Give this awesome Hermitage 5-6 years in the cellar and feel free to drink it anytime over the following 4-5 decades.
Depending on where it's grown and how it's made, the variety has two names. In France, where it goes by Syrah, it makes a huge contribution to the red wines of the Rhone Valley. In the southern Rhone villages of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, and Vacqueyras it is blended with a number of varieties but mainly Grenache. It is in the northern Rhone, including Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage,Côte-Rôtie, St. Joseph, where it most often stands out on its own, and is only occasionally blended with the region's white grapes. More recently, in the late 20th Century, Shiraz has put Australian producers such as Penfolds and d’Arenberg on the fine wine map, with cult wines like "Grange" and "The Dead Arm". Generally speaking, the style from the old world is more savoury, expressing aromas of pepper, cured meat and leather. The hotter climate experienced in Australia results in more upfront, dense and even jammy fruit. The grape has also taken off with rapid success in California and Washington, as well as South Africa and New Zealand. Producers in these regions often name their varietal wines according to the style they intend.
The Rhone is one of France’s most important wine regions. Divided into two separate zones, the north is probably the most prestigious. It is home to the appellations of Condrieu, Côte Rôtie, St. Joseph, Hermitage, and Crozes-Hermitage. Syrah is king with the exception of the Condrieu (100% Viognier) and Hermitage, which also makes big whites from Marsanne and Roussanne. The South is a much larger region where most Cotes du Rhone and Cotes du Rhone Village come from. In the villages of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, Vacqueyras, and Rasteau, Syrah is blended in varying proportions with Grenache, Mourvedre, Cinsaut, and a host of obscure varieties such as Muscardin, Vaccarese, Terret and Counoise, to produce full-bodied reds brimming with energy.
Red wine is wine made from dark-coloured grape varieties. The color of red differs based on the grapes variety or varieties used.Interestingly, black grapes yield a juice that is greenish-white. The actual red color comes from anthocyan pigments (also called anthocyanins) from the skin of the grape (exceptions are the relatively uncommon teinturier varieties, which produce a red colored juice). Most of the production centers around the extraction of color and flavor from the grape skin.
