The Rhone’s World-Class Hermitage Wines

          The Hermitage hill as viewed from the hotel where Wine-Knows will be staying in 2024

This is the first in a three-part series on wines from the Northern Rhone.  Hermitage wines have a cult-like following by serious oenophiles.   Located just south of the city of Lyon, the small Hermitage appellation is situation on a perfectly positioned steep granite hill.  Drenched in full afternoon sunlight, this vine-draped slope overlooks the majestic Rhone River which cools during the valley's sizzling summers and provides warmth during its frosty winters.  The Hermitage hill is named after a tiny chapel which adorns its crest.  

                      The birds-eye view Hermitage chapel provides a perfect view for wine lovers 

The Hermitage appellation is known for its red wines which are made from the Syrah grape.   For Syrah devotees, Hermitage is the Holy Grail.   This is not surprising considering the Syrah grape comes from the Rhone region.  When young, these wines are rich and concentrated with bold tannins.  Their youthful profile is one of blackberry, dark cherry, spice and mineral.   Older Hermitage wines are elegant and complex with an earthy spectrum of leather, cocoa and coffee.  Because of their tannins, these opulent Hermitage can age for decades.

                         "La Chapelle" vineyard is one of the most coveted on the Hermitage hill

Hermitage is one of the few appellations that allows an addition of up to 15% of white grapes into its red wine.   Luscious Marsanne and Roussanne that are used to complete these perfect reds, adding interesting floral, stone fruit and citrus nuances.   Both of these white grapes are also used to produce the area’s rare white wine.   These hedonistic whites, known for their dense texture and a long finish, are highly coveted.

 

Hermitage’s red wines are the benchmark by which all other Syrah wines are measured.    For an up-close-and-personal experience with Hermitage wines, why not consider coming with Wine-Knows on its September harvest next year, 2024?  We have 3-4 openings left at this time.    

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The Perfect Summer Duo

One of my pet summer-time wine blends is Marsanne and Roussane.   Rarely vinified as a 100% varietal, these two white Rhone grapes create a perfect marriage of color, aroma, flavor and texture.   I believe that a Marsanne and Roussane blend is a spot-on example of Aristotle’s quote, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”  That being said, let’s examine those parts.

The Roussane grape produces a powerful white wine.   Probably named for its russet-colored grape skin, Roussane creates a deep golden wine.  On the nose, this Rhone varietal offers floral notes, along with peaches and pears.  When allowed to fully ripen there can even be pineapple and mango.  Less ripe fruit offers more delicate herbal nuances. Usually quite rich in texture, Roussane can develop an almost exotic silky, or velvet-like body.  

                                Roussane's color pigments deepen the color of its wine

Roussane in some ways could actually be thought of as a red wine masquerading as a white.   By that I mean that Roussane has a good tannin structure.  These tannins also allow Roussane to age more than other whites without such a tannin structure.  Great Roussanes such as those from the Rhone’s Hermitage, are opulent, elegant, complex, and evocative wines.  

Marsanne, like Roussane, is native to the Rhone Valley.   The most planted white grape in the Northern Rhone, Marsanne also produces deeply colored wines that heighten in color intensity as they age.  Flavor profiles include a nuttiness (think almonds), along with white flowers and citrus or melon.  Like Roussane, Marsanne also has an impressive rich texture.  

                                  France's Rhone Valley is the birthplace of both grapes

While both of these varietals are the back bone of the Rhone Valley’s white wines, they are also grown along California’s coast, Washington state, British Columbia, and Australia.   Most of the time the two grapes are paired together to create the perfect cuvee.  Marrying the best qualities of the duo often produces a fabulous mélange for the summer….or winter!   Here are some of my favorite Roussane-Marsanne blends from the central coast of California:  Jaffus, Sine Qua Non and Stolpman.

Enjoy your summer!

The Rhone’s Illustrious Grape Varieties

Northern Rhone  

While I love wines from Bordeaux and Burgundy, a Rhone just might be my first choice to accompany a special occasion meal.  One of my all time favorite wines to ever pass these lips was a La Turque by Guigal (I had it 12 years ago but can still recall that the earth moved under my feet.).   For the last few days, my husband and I have been in the Rhone finalizing details for the 2013 harvest tour for Wine-Knows Travel.

The Rhone Valley is France’s 3^rd largest wine district (only the Languedoc-Rousillon and Bordeaux produce more wine).  The district is so large and diverse that it is divided into two separate regions.  The Northern Rhone is home to the world-class Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie wines (of which La Turque is one).  The Southern part includes the equally renown Chateauneuf-du-Pape vineyards. 

There are many grape varietals allowed by law in the Rhone, but three stand-out as the “holy trinity” of the Rhone’s reds:  Syrah, Greanache & Mouvedre.  Syrah is the grape with the greatest potential for quality in the Northern Rhone…most of its pinnacle wines (are crafted from Syrah as a single varietal wine, or from a blend in which a considerable percentage is Syrah (La Turque is >90% Syrah).  Grenache, more popular in the Southern Rhone due to its need for warm weather, is often blended with other grapes.  Mouvedre (frequently referred to as Mataro in the US), likewise, is often used for blending.  The grape, however, becomes perfection as a single varietal in the wines of Bandol (located in the southern-most Rhone on the Mediterranean Sea).  Other important reds grown in the Rhone include Cinsault and Carignan.  Both of these grapes are typically used in blends rather than single varietals

The Rhone isn’t just about reds…one of my favorite white varietals is Viognier.  This wine is luscious with seductive aromatics of white flowers, stone fruits and honey.  Roussane, an indigenous grape, is another personal fave.  In the Northern Rhone, Roussane reaches rock-star status.  Marsanne, which also originated in the Rhone, is often combined with Roussane for more complexity.  Clairette, a sun loving grape that is grown in the southern part, is also made into sparkling wine.  Muscat, which is similarly added to sparkling blends, is additionally vinified into a well known dessert wine, Beaume de Venise.

Provence, our home base on this trip as well as next year’s harvest tour, is located in the Southern Rhone.   This area of the wine district is a jewel-box filled with colorful outdoor markets and some of France’s best olive oil, hence, Provence is an added bonus for the gourmet traveler.   On the other hand, the region’s wines are so spectacular that one doesn’t hardly needs any additional reasons to visit the Rhone.