Domaine Franck Balthazar was established in Cornas in 1931 by Casimir Balthazar, transitioned to his son René in 1950, and has been masterfully guided by Franck Balthazar since taking over in 2002. Renowned for an uncompromisingly traditional philosophy, Franck farms his core estate vineyards in Cornas organically by hand and plow, prioritizing old, low-yielding clones of la Petite Syrah.

For this particular Crozes-Hermitage bottling, he expands his reach by sourcing fruit from a carefully selected négociant vineyard parcel featuring 37-year-old vines rooted in the stony, alluvial soils of the Mercurol commune. Across both his estate and merchant cuvées, Franck adheres to a strict low-intervention regime characterized by 100% whole-cluster fermentation, native yeasts, and aging in neutral oak vessels. The resulting wines are celebrated globally for their pure, unfiltered, and deeply soulful expression of Northern Rhône terroir.