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About the Wine
Another excellent one-off Crozier cuvée made using a blend of wine that has had time to age a while in the cellar - as its name suggests, a blend of Syrah from 2021 and Merlot from 2019. With a gentle flash of tawny to the edge of the rim, here we have a fine balance of development and freshness. Deep, concentrated red and black fruits meld with rustic tannin, cracked pepper spice and those trademark herbal notes: fennel, burdock root and coltsfoot rock can be picked out amongst the leather, rolling tobacco and richer barrel notes.
The Merlot comes from a 2019 of drought, the grapes intense and sugar-ripe, de-stemmed and macerated for 5 days before going into a long slow fermentation over 8 months in demi-muid barrels, remaining here for a further two years. The Syrah comes from bunches that dodged the notorious frost and hail of 2021. A fresher vintage, the process was a 4-day carbo as whole bunches then an 8 month rest in fibreglass. The two separate wines were blended in the spring of 2022 and bottled at the end of summer the same year, with no additions at any stage. 1300 bottles made in total.
About La Vrille et le Papillon
Méryl and Géraldine Crozier established themselves in the village of Valvignères in 2012 after Méryl had cut his teeth making wine in Madiran in the South West and Mâcon in Burgundy. On returning to the family vineyards and eventually taking the reins, on the advice of Gérald Oustric of Le Mazel, the Croziers stopped supplying grapes to the local co-op, obtained organic certification, and their 5 beautifully verdant hectares of Syrah, Grenache, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Ugni Blanc & Viognier became La Vrille et le Papillon. The vines all sit over rocky limestone and clay soils and enjoy the moderating effect of the mistral wind as it funnels through the valley. In the cellar fermentations occur naturally and nothing is added. The Croziers are fans of experimentation and, in addition to a regular set of cuvées, each vintage often throws up a list of exciting debut wines too. They have even encouraged their young son, Achille, to get involved. His his own wine, Canon d’Achille, was an out-and-out hit the two years he made it - not bad for a 14 year-old! As well as being keen to try new things, in recent times this has often been ingenuity born from the various climactic struggles they have faced, as unseasonal frost and hail has caused severe losses for the family, as it has for many others. Alongside their Ardèchoise varietals, Méryl has also planted some hybrid vines, curious to see what potential they may hold in the future. Whatever the means, La Vrille et le Papillon wines are always fruit-driven, herbaceous and possess spry aromatic qualities; everything we love in wine from this region.