Domaine du Colombier is now widely recognised as one of the best sources of high quality Hermitage and Crozes Hermitage. It is located in Mercurol on the outskirts of Tain L'Hermitage and is run by father and son team Gabriel and Florent Viale. The Domaine has 1.5 hectares of vineyards in the renowned Beaumes vineyard on the famous Hermitage hill as well as a larger vineyard in Crozes Hermitage. Before 1992 the entire production was sold to local negociants (Guigal in particular) and so only recently have the Viales been estate bottling and marketing their own wines. The average age vines in the holding in Beaumes is over 50 years and this is reflected in the wine which is renowned for their purity and harmony with the emphasis on finesse and elegance rather than power. The wines are eminently approachable in youth although they also possess the structure to enable them to age gracefully. Complex and concentrated nose of earthy spice and mature dark fruit, followed by sweet, jammy flavours of blackcurrant, mingling those with of black pepper and licorice. Pair with stews and meat casseroles.