Domaine Laurent Veyrat sits beneath the rugged Vercors mountain range in the village of Chanos-Curson, Drôme, with family paper archives tracing the Veyrat name back to the same address as early as the 1600s. The organic estate spans 14 hectares within the Crozes-Hermitage appellation, farmed with cover crops between the vine rows to build soil health and support sustainable, environmentally responsible viticulture. Since 2020, Laurent and his wife have vinified and bottled the estate's entire production themselves.
This 2020 "L'Antre Coeur" is made from Syrah, the sole red grape of the northern Rhône, grown on 25 to 30-year-old vines rooted in the region's porous granite, clay, and limestone soils. The wine shows the wilder, more untamed side of Syrah, big, meaty, and peppery, with medium body and ripe, well-integrated tannins. Expect notes of black pepper, dark fruit, and a savory, gamey edge that sets it apart from more polished, fruit-forward styles of the grape.
The result is a characterful, terroir-driven expression of northern Rhône Syrah from a family with roots on this land stretching back over four centuries.