Hermitage Rouge: Granite-Driven Syrah Excellence
Among the most exclusive wines from the northern Rhône area is Hermitage Rouge. Having a centuries-long legacy, this AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôle) is well-known for its quality. Made entirely from Syrah grapes, a grape variety expressing maximum complexity, grace, and structure here, the wine is Hermitage’s most well-known creators are Jean- Louis Chave, M. Chapoutier, and Paul Jaboulet Aîné, whose labels, La Chapelle, are authentic markers of this terroir.
Production Areas
Rising on a granite slope above the village of Tain-l’Hermitage, along the Rhône River, the Hermitage AOC appellation comprises over 140 hectares. Extreme limited production helps to explain the rarity (cult and obedience) and premium price of the wines. Though they vary from clay to limestone, the mostly granite soils here provide a perfect basis for cultivating Syrah.
Terroir and Winemaking
The environment is continental; hot, dry summers and chilly winters fit for slow, even ripening of Syrah grapes. The steep slopes on which the vines are produced call for careful, hand labor cultivation. Usually including a long maceration to extract the best tannins and smells from the skins, winemaking then proceeds with maturing in oak barrels capable of lasting up to eighteen months or more. While some winemakers want old barrels to maintain fruit purity, others choose to mature in new barrels to provide the wine greater structure.
Tasting notes
It smells black, like blackberries and plum, then undertones of black pepper, licorice, smoke and earthy touches. More enveloping notes of leather, truffle and sweet spices show up as it ages. Though refined, tannin is still there; acidity brings freshness and balances the strength of the wine. The best vintages can develop into amazing complexity over decades.
Price
Rates differ greatly. For a bottle, high-end items like Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Rouge can go over 500 euros. But wines from makers like Domaine du Colombier, renowned for their great value for money, are available for roughly seventy euros.
The Legend of the Crusader Knight
The Hermitage’s history is a blooming of stories and limitless arabesques, everyone attempting to come up with progressively unusual ideas. One of the most well-known traditions is to Gaspard de Stérimberg, a crusading knight who chose to live the life of a hermit by withdrawing to a little church on Hermitage Hill, above Tain-l’Hermitage, fatigued and worn out after returning from the Crusades in the 13th century. Beginning what would become one of the most esteemed appellations in the Rhone Valley, he planted the first vines in this area.
Actually, the name “Hermitage” comes from the French word “ermitage,” which means “hermitage,” thereby referring to the lone retreat of the knight. Although this is mostly myth, it is a story that has made Hermitage a center of strange ideas as well as of outstanding winemaking quality.
