Crozes Hermitage Les Palignons, Les Vins de Vienne 2021

In the Northern Rhône many of the vineyards cling to precipitously steep hillsides, some really quite high and whilst frost isn’t unknown here, the difference in 2021 was the severity of it. Hermitage, on the left bank of the Rhône, rarely gets frosted, aided by its proximity to the river, but in 2021 all the growers clubbed together to light candles to protect their vineyards – they were successful, and losses were not so bad; further down the hill, on the plains below, Crozes Hermitage was hit much harder, with growers reporting losses of 40% and more.