RHÔNE VALLEY
CROZES-HERMITAGE
93 Emmanuel Darnaud 2018 Au Fil du Temps (Crozes-Hermitage). Of Darnaud’s excellent series of 2018 Crozes-Hermitage, Au Fil du Temps is the heavyweight that highlights the richness and power of a hot vintage against an earthen, iron-struck core of minerality. Matured 18 months in equal parts new and seasoned oak barrels, it’s a meaty, intensely concentrated red framed in soft, feathery tannins. It’s ready now but the wine should improve through 2028. Fruit of the Vines, Inc. Editors’ Choice. —A.I.
abv: 14.5% Price: $55
93 Emmanuel Darnaud 2018 Les Troix Chênes (Crozes-Hermitage). Voluminous yet fresh, this full-bodied Syrah highlights ripe, perfumed plum and blackberry flavors shaded by graphite, cedar and crushed peppercorns. Matured in a mix of concrete and large-format oak barrels, it’s a supple, pure-fruited red edged by fine, silky tannins and a spicy licorice finish. It drinks beautifully in youth but should hold through 2028. Fruit of the Vines, Inc. Editors’ Choice. —A.I.
abv: 14% Price: $40
Black currants on the nose and palate are shaded by smoky tea leaves and char in this ripe but elegantly restrained Syrah. Sourced from 25- to 60-year-old vines and fermented with 20% whole clusters, it’s a piercing, freshly composed wine that
