Fabulous, deep, dark Syrah from a northern Rhne star appellation, declassified. Best snap it up In 2021, the steep terraces of this superb Crozes Hermitage estate, overlooking the Rhne river, were hit by severe spring frosts. No grapes were harvested at all from these vineyards. The silver lining, however, was rested vines which produced a larger crop than permitted in the much more fortunate 2022 vintage. So the estate had to declassify a portion of the grapes and our buyer, Mark, bagged a great wine. Pure Syrah, he enthused, “it is very good indeed, very Rhne, dark and spicy”. So good, in fact, that he persuaded the estate to make the wine in 2023. We can’t name this fine domaine, so we’ve labelled the wine, appropriately as L’Expression Syrah. Its young, so ideally open early and decant. An exceptional red, great with lamb.