Skalli, Caves Saint-Pierre, Crozes-Hermitage, Rhône, 2010

Tasting: Crozes-Hermitage 2010

Muted black cherry nose. Medium-bodied, sleek but slight, reasonable concentration but little depth or complexity. Acidity dominates the finish, which is quite lean and close to tart.

Tasting: Crozes-Hermitage 2010

Polished nose, dominated by ripe hedgerow fruit, graphite and the hearth; palate is generous, rounded, with a Rubenesque physique held in check by discrete and very finely-laced corsetry.

Tasting: Crozes-Hermitage 2010

Smoky, tobacco airs, liquorice and black pepper – a self-contained, not especially welcoming nose for now. Tight, granular black fruit through the palate, Needs 15 months to soften. Menthol notes in the fruit, a hint of cedar, vegetal. Bit strict.