Hermitage has long been described as the "manliest wine in France" and anyone who has seen the impressive, extremely steep south-facing slope that rises directly behind the village of Tain l'Hermitage will get an unforgettable impression of why such majestic and unique wines are produced here.
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| Steep vineyard terraces behind Tain l'Hermitage (Source: SOPEXA Germany) |
Hermitage has always been admired for its enormous power, brazen structure and extraordinary tannin richness. Both red and white Hermitage fetched higher prices than the best Bordeaux 200 years ago, and it was not uncommon for wine from here to be shipped west to boost the mostly considerably lighter Bordeaux, where they not only boosted quality but - with the addition of the word "hermitagé" - often prices as well.
As in only a few wine-growing regions in the world, Hermitage has largely preserved a very traditional winemaking process that involves spontaneous fermentation, ageing in old wooden barrels and as little intervention as possible in the cellar. Although there are now prestigious single-vineyard bottlings here too, hardly anyone would think of depriving the wines of part of their vineyard character through the generous use of new oak. De-stemming of the grapes also takes place to a much greater extent today than was the case 20 years ago, but long maceration periods still ensure a density and tannin structure that has always been proverbial for Hermitage.
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| Typical Hermitage Steillage (Source: SOPEXA Germany) |
Unlike many other wine-growing zones, Hermitage has never been enlarged since gaining its status as an AOC in 1937, despite the enormous success of which the wines can now boast. The vineyard area is just 126 hectares and is spread over several single vineyards, only a few of which ever appear on the labels. Exceptions are above all "Le Méal" from Bernard Faurie and Marc Sorrel and "Les Bessards", which is bottled by Delas bottled separately. Also the Ermitage "Le Pavillon" from Chapoutier - according to the old spelling without the initial H - comes purely from ancient vines in "Les Bessards".
The great classics of the Apellation, however, are cuvées from several vineyards, for which two wines in particular are exemplary: the Hermitage from Jean-Louis Chave and the Hermitage "La Chapelle" from Jaboulet. Both embody the classic Hermitage style at its best, and this tasting was essentially about them. It took place in the restaurant "Im Fünften" in Graz and was exemplarily organised by the Graz composer and conductor Gerhard Präsent, one of the greatest connoisseurs of the Northern Rhône in Austria. All wines were decanted and tasted blind.
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