2020 Emmanuel Darnaud Les Trois Chênes Crozes-Hermitage 750 ml

We can only speculate on what the marriage courtship process was like for star Northern Rhône winemaker Emmanuel Darnaud—but it must have been a little nerve-wracking.

That’s because his future father-in-law, Bernard Faurie, is a LEGEND in Hermitage—an iconic producer so obsessive in his pursuit of perfection that he’s been known to jet-wash his pipette four times before dipping it in a barrel!

But releases like the 2020 Les Trois Chênes Crozes-Hermitage make it abundantly clear why Rhône-watchers deem Darnaud not only worthy of the mantle of fame that’s come with his mentorship under Hermitage’s grand sage, but as a generational talent in his own right.

A “mini-Hermitage,” this smashing 100% Syrah success accounts for just 20% of the total crop generated by Darnaud’s vines, which are aged 25 to 60 years. 

Voluptuous, velvet-smooth, and beautifully unforced in its elegance, this is the work of a man who is every bit as painstaking and compulsive as his beau-père. You could write a dissertation on the intricacies of Darnaud’s approach to vineyard management: His vines are about a foot taller than anyone else’s in Crozes-Hermitage, reflecting his preference for maximum aeration and exposure.

This is not lost on the critics. Wine Advocate described themselves as “blown away” by Darnaud’s vintages, while Jeb Dunnuck raved: “The young Emanuel Darnaud is unquestionably one of the most talented winemakers in Crozes Hermitage. I’d call him a rising superstar, but I think he’s already there.”

With each succeeding vintage of this cuvée, Darnaud has only shown greater restraint, following in the footsteps of Faurie. The 2020 is a slam-dunk buy for lovers of full-bodied, smoldering reds, and it augurs for beautiful evolution with age.