Domaine Belle “Les Pierrelles”

CROZES-HERMITAGE, France |  2021

Domaine Belle is one of those Northern Rhône estates that demands some attention. The Belle family has been tied to Crozes-Hermitage for generations with their roots in the area going back centuries; whereas the domaine itself took its modern form in 1990 when Albert Belle and his son Philippe (fresh from studying oenology) built a dedicated winery and started bottling under their own name. Today the estate covers about 25 hectares across multiple communes and the trio of appellations that matter here: Crozes-Hermitage, Hermitage, and Saint-Joseph. The estate also recently included a vine nursery and apricot orchard managed by Philippe’s brother, Jean-Claude

“Les Pierrelles” (translating to “the stones”) is 100% Syrah and is a great snapshot of what Crozes can do when it’s treated like more than a stepping-stone (no pun intended). It’s bursting with dark fruit, black pepper, violets, and that wonderfully savory Northern Rhône edge. The domaine has recently moved into organic viticulture and the wines are always energetic, clean, and lifted rather than heavy or glossy typical of how Crozes wines show when not in the right hands.

This wine is especially great with lamb, grilled sausages, lentils, steak frites, or anything with rosemary and black pepper.