The appellation of Crozes-Hermitage surrounds part of the legendary hill of Hermitage. This sacred spot earned its name in the thirteenth century when an injured knight returned from the Crusades. As legend has it, the Queen gave him permission to build a small home for his recovery at the top of the hill and he lived in seclusion there as a hermit for many years. Today, the most revered and costly wines of the Northern Rhône hail from this hallowed ground. Just below the legendary hill, Crozes-Hermitage offers greater acreage and lower prices than its big brother. Although many of Crozes-Hermitage wines can be found giving little life or personality, when gifted producers with a deft hand join forces with superb niche parcels, the results are nothing short of spectacular considering the price-point. Such is the case with Domaine Combier. Domaine Combier actually finds it roots in the orchard business. Maurice Combier, known locally as Maurice le Fou, or “Crazy Maurice,” was one of the first in the Rhône to work the land organically starting back in the 1970s. It was actually Maurice’s son, Laurent that brought winemaking into the family business. He studied viticulture and agriculture and worked for different domaines in Châteauneuf-du-Pape as well as at the famous Domaine Ott in Provence before returning home to establish the family winery and their own brand of fruit, which is also sold widely throughout France. 

Over the years, Domaine Combier has grown to include 20 hectares of vines, but the work is still done by hand, organically and with an eye toward quality. Yields are kept very low, which results in incredibly concentrated fruit. “I search for purity of fruit,” Laurent Combier explains, and this wine delivers that in spades. It is a rare treat to find Northern Rhône Syrah of this quality, especially with Crozes on the label. The blend of three special parcels that include chalky clay with smooth pebbles from the southern slope as well as loess and granite from the northern slope, this wine possesses stunning minerality. The fruit is sorted in the field as well as the cellar then is destemmed and vinified in climate-controlled stainless steel for 25 days with twice daily pump-overs. The blend is matured in French oak for twelve months and the result is simply breathtaking.