Domaine Jean Esprit has farmed the same patch of land in Crozes‑Hermitage since 1909, long before the appellation even existed. A bio-diversified farm organically growing Syrah, Marsanne, Roussanne, cherries, apricots, and barley (destined partly for the local brewery). Over the decades, the family became a quiet power behind the scenes, selling their organic Syrah to famous neighbors like Alain Graillot and Laurent Combier, whose cuvées went on to earn global acclaim; it wasn’t until the fifth‑generation son Jean took over about a decade ago that the family decided to stop playing bit part and finally put their own name on the bottles.

Jean studied enology in Beaune, worked in New Zealand and the south of France, then returned home in 2017 determined to elevate the domaine, rebuilding the winery as a gravity‑fed facility dug into the family’s main courtyard with the vineyards wrapped around it. The 2024 Crozes‑Hermitage comes from a hillside parcel just behind his home, 15‑year‑old vines on a clay‑limestone terrace that gives the wine a surprising lift and grace for the village, fermented in stainless steel and aged in concrete to emphasize purity, transparency, and drinkability.

Why you’ll love it

• It’s a textbook Crozes‑Hermitage with textbook pricing, offering spicy, juicy Syrah that reads like a cross between Saint‑Joseph restraint and Cornas swagger, but without the celebrity price tag.

• The fruit once helped build some of the region’s most celebrated cuvées, and now a small portion of it is bottled under the Esprit name, marking a rare, pedigree‑driven value before the rest of the world figures it out.

• It’s a wine that’s built to be enjoyed now—bright berry fruit, violet and lavender lift, and a whisper of hung meat and white pepper—but with a fine‑grained tannic frame and acidity that promise real medium‑term upside in the cellar.

How to serve it

• Open it for a generous decant, or give it at least 20 minutes in the glass; the wine’s lift and precision come through best when the aromas of redcurrant, black raspberry, mulberry, and florals have time to unfurl.

• Serve it slightly below cellar temperature, around 60–62°F, so the juicy acidity and wispy tannins support the wine without the fleshiness turning heavy.

• Pair it with rustic, meaty dishes—roast lamb shoulder, grilled sausages, or enjoy with a simple cheeseburger!