Cave de Tain, Grand Classique, Crozes-Hermitage, Rhône, France 2019

Located at the foot of the Hermitage hill, the Cave de Tain is the largest producer of northern Rhône Valley wines in volume terms. This Crozes-Hermitage is from the 2019 vintage, which was scored 4/5 in the northern Rhône by Decanter's Rhône expert Matt Walls. He describes 2019 in the region as 'similar to 2018 but a little fresher and more elegant'. It was a fairly tricky year in Crozes-Hermitage, which was hit by hailstorms. This could benefit from a little more concentration, but displays good typicity, with a savoury, earthy character, some ripe dark fruit black berry fruit, a touch of charcoal and some black pepper spice. A third of the wine was aged for six to eight months in 400-litre French oak barrels, after fermentation in a mix of steel and concrete vats. It's a firm and structured, food-friendly red to accompany robust meat dishes.