If you had told us we’d be writing up a Hermitage-adjacent Chave rouge that’s NOT crafted by contemporary cult legend Jean-Louis, we would have laughed into our glass. But here we are, doing just that after tasting today’s brawny, dark-fruited Syrah from a Chave you’ve probably never heard of: Natacha.

No, she’s not part of J-L’s royal family tree, but given the powerful aromatics and brooding fruit that powered out of our glasses, she doesn’t need to be. Her sophisticated, deeply structured Syrah brings all the majesty of Crozes’ storied terroir—which surrounds the fabled hill of Hermitage—with a craftsman's touch and an artist's style, all done using rigorous biodynamic principles. That’s why we’re deeming today’s over-performing bottle one of this year’s most exciting Northern Rhône discoveries. Best of all, this Chave won't break the bank, in fact, ten bottles of Natacha Chave costs the equivalent of one Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage. Load up!  

Although Domaine Aléofane’s Natacha Chave hails from a winemaking lineage, she has no relation to the legendary Jean-Louis Chave and, quite frankly, we don’t care: Since 2006, she has made a powerful new mark on Northern Rhône’s timeless terroir by promoting a biodynamic, forward-looking philosophy of viniculture. It’s been told that it was her friendship with the famed Clusel-Roch clan in Côte-Rôtie that propelled her to create hearty, soulful wines with as few interventions as possible. Take a thin-skinned berry grown on a pebbly terroir in the Northern Rhône Valley, mix in Natacha’s natural farming and meticulous stewardship in the cellar, and you get today’s Syrah magic. 

Natacha’s domaine gets its name from an island in John Macmillan Brown’s novel “Riallaro, The Archipelago of Exiles.” In this illusory place, fermented drinks are scarce creations with magical healing properties—a perfect analog to the poetic craftsmanship at work in Chave’s organic vineyards and minimalist cellar! From the outset, she was clear on respecting the environment and getting “out of the shackles” of conventional practices. The vineyard work is rigorously organic (certified), the soils are manually tilled, and she employs numerous biodynamic preparations like nettle for composting. The grapes are harvested from vines exceeding 50 years of age grown on alluvial clay and rounded pebbles. In the cellar, she applies the same thoughtfulness by using indigenous yeasts, neutral 500-liter barrels for aging, and minimal additions of sulfur. Her wines are bottled without any fining or filtering.

The 2018 vintage was hot and dry, but because of the methods employed, Chave was able to realize the benefits of her patient and resilient practices. The result is a rich and dark-fruited expression of Northern Rhône Syrah that spills out a classic set of aromas like black cherry, freshly cracked black pepper, blackberry, crème de cassis, licorice, crushed earth, olive, and leather with hints of tobacco and smoked meat. In order to make the most of this powerfully opulent red, I recommend decanting for no less than 60 minutes. If you want to do it exactly right, then please also serve in your largest Bordeaux stems around a steady 60-degree temperature. Then, take it to the next level by pairing it with a rack of lamb with a rosemary finish and roasted new potatoes. You won’t’ regret it!