Crozes-Hermitage AOC

The INAO's cahier des charges says vine growing on this stretch of the Rhône, once the territory of the Allobroges, would date back at least to the Roman occupation, between 124 BC and 61 BC. The village itself was recorded as Crozis (1240), Croisis (1285) and Crosis (1344), and only became Crozes-Hermitage by a decree of 14 May 1920. According to Inter Rhône, the central and southern parts of today's appellation had long been planted with orchards, while between 1769 and 1780 large vineyards were laid out in Gervans, Érôme and Crozes next to those on Hermitage Hill. The decree of 4 March 1937 recognised the appellation on part of the commune of Crozes-Hermitage only, and in 1952 the area grew from one commune to 11. The INAO text adds that a new parcel selection approved in June 1989 cut the production potential from 4,800 hectares to 3,200 hectares.

• Decree of 4 March 1937: the original zone was part of the commune of Crozes-Hermitage, traced by the quartiers Bourret, Les Habrards, Martinet and Les Méjeans (INAO)
• 1952: the appellation grew from one commune to 11 (INAO; Inter Rhône says the 10 surrounding communes were officially included in 1952)
• The Syndicat des viticulteurs du canton de Tain-l'Hermitage dates from 1927 and the cooperative cave de vins fins de Tain-l'Hermitage from 1933 (INAO)
• The INAO text cites the 1846 Lyon wine congress tasting committee comparing Crozes-Hermitage with Hermitage: "Si ce n’est un frère, c’est un cousin germain assurément"

The INAO describes the zone as lying north of Valence and facing Tournon, on the left bank of the Rhône, which forms its western limit; the Herbasse and Isère rivers bound it to the east and south. Andrew Jefford, writing in Decanter, says Crozes surrounds Hermitage on three sides. In the north the Rhône cuts through between Crozes-Hermitage and Serves-sur-Rhône to reveal the same Tournon granite found across the river, and terraces held up by walls traditionally of dry stone keep the granitic sands on the slopes. Further south and east the land is flatter and more open, a series of Quaternary terraces of stones eroded from the nearby Alps. Inter Rhône calls the climate semi-continental with Mediterranean influences, citing around 2,400 hours of sunshine a year, hot, dry summers, and moderate rainfall that falls mostly at the end of summer, known as the Cevenol effect. In the north, it says, an almost constant wind dries the air along the Rhône corridor.

• The 11 communes (INAO): Beaumont-Monteux, Chanos-Curson, Crozes-Hermitage, Érôme, Gervans, Larnage, Pont-de-l'Isère, La Roche-de-Glun, Serves-sur-Rhône and Tain-l'Hermitage in full, plus the delegated commune of Mercurol within Mercurol-Veaunes
• North (Érôme, Serves and Gervans): granite soils also covered with loess, according to Inter Rhône
• South and east of Tain-l'Hermitage: thick strata of rounded pebbles mixed with red clay on relatively flat plateaus and terraces such as Les Chassis and Les Sept Chemins (Inter Rhône)
• The Chassis terrace forms a triangle south of the road from Tain-l'Hermitage to Romans-sur-Isère, with its point at Pont-de-l'Isère where the Isère meets the Rhône (INAO)
• Part of Larnage has very white kaolinic sands (INAO), and Andrew Jefford (Decanter) describes its often steeply sloping vineyards of kaolin-rich clay; Mercurol has the Coteau des Pends (INAO)

Under the INAO rules, red Crozes-Hermitage is made from Syrah as the principal grape, with Marsanne and Roussanne allowed as accessory grapes. Syrah must be at least 85% of the red blend, and Marsanne and Roussanne may be interplanted among the Syrah up to 15% of the vines. The white wines come from Marsanne and Roussanne only. The INAO cahier des charges (2024 modification text) puts Syrah at 90% of the plantings. It describes southern reds as pleasant and aromatic, with good structure but nothing excessive, and says some cuvées from the northern slopes have more structure and hold up better with age. Inter Rhône describes the reds as soft and smooth, deep garnet in colour, with scents of red berries and flowers, taking on musky, spicy and leathery notes over time. It calls the whites dry yet full-bodied, with floral aromas and a hint of dried fruit. Andrew Jefford writes in Decanter that white Crozes has traditionally been based on Marsanne with a smaller share of Roussanne.

• Red wines: Syrah principal, with Marsanne and Roussanne as accessory grapes; Syrah at least 85% of the blend, and white grapes interplanted up to 15% of the vines are vinified together with the Syrah (INAO)
• White wines: Marsanne and Roussanne only (INAO)
• Reds (Inter Rhône): deep garnet, red berries and flowers, fresh when young, gaining musky, spicy, leathery notes over time
• Whites (INAO): depending mainly on how malolactic fermentation is handled, either intensely aromatic with fresh fruit recalling citrus and good liveliness, or more floral and spicy with a richer balance

Jancis Robinson writes that most of the winemakers in and around Tain and its sister town Tournon, including the merchant houses of Chapoutier, Paul Jaboulet and Delas, also make Crozes-Hermitage. She calls red Crozes from one of the area's best merchants, or from producers such as Belle, Domaine du Colombier, Graillot, Pochon or Domaine Marc Sorrel, "the northern Rhône's great wine bargains". Decanter's Andrew Jefford wrote in 2017 that the Cave de Tain cooperative makes around half of Crozes-Hermitage and has growers in every sector of the appellation. Because village names are not allowed on Crozes-Hermitage labels, he notes, the Cave de Tain uses coded names for its sub-regional cuvées.

• Cave de Tain: the cooperative dates from 1933 (INAO); Andrew Jefford (Decanter, 2017) says it makes around half of the appellation
• Merchant houses in and around Tain and Tournon (Jancis Robinson): Chapoutier, Paul Jaboulet and Delas
• Growers Jancis Robinson names for red Crozes: Belle, Domaine du Colombier, Graillot, Pochon and Domaine Marc Sorrel
• Other growers in Andrew Jefford's Decanter columns: Domaine Combier (Laurent Combier's Classique and the old-vine Clos des Grives), Yann Chave, and Fayolle Fils et Fille

The INAO cahier des charges reserves Crozes-Hermitage, which may also be labelled Crozes-Ermitage, for still red and white wines, and places it among the Crus des Côtes du Rhône. Grapes must reach at least 161 grams of sugar per litre of must for whites and 171 grams for reds, and the wines need a minimum natural alcohol of 10.5%. The base yield is 45 hl/ha, with a ceiling (rendement butoir) of 50 hl/ha. Any harvest above 63 hl/ha loses the appellation for the whole crop. The cahier sets no complementary geographical names. Andrew Jefford writes in Decanter that many lieux-dits are beginning to appear on labels, while village names are banned from them.

• Minimum sugar: 161 g/l of must for whites, 171 g/l for reds; minimum natural alcohol 10.5%; no more than 13% total alcohol after enrichment (INAO)
• Yield 45 hl/ha, rendement butoir 50 hl/ha (both 40 hl/ha for parcels with 2.50 m to 2.75 m between rows); above 63 hl/ha the whole harvest loses the appellation (INAO)
• Red wines: Syrah at least 85% of the blend; white wines: Marsanne and Roussanne only (INAO)
• Minimum planting density 4,000 vines per hectare; continuous presses and wood chips are banned (INAO)

Primary sources (INAO and Inter Rhône): https://extranet.inao.gouv.fr/fichier/PNO2024AOPCrozesHermitage.pdf, https://www.vins-rhone.com/en/cotes-du-rhone-cru-aoc-crozes-hermitage. Secondary sources: https://www.decanter.com/wine-news/opinion/jefford-on-monday/crozes-hermitage-northern-lights-rhone-355910/, https://www.decanter.com/wine-news/opinion/jefford-on-monday/crozes-hermitage-2015-value-wines-great-vintage-360078/, https://www.jancisrobinson.com/learn/wine-regions/france/northern-rhone. Last verified 2026-09-25