Chapoutier - Ermitage L'Ermite Rouge 2018 | Monsieur Touton Selection

Tasting notes

A very deep garnet red, almost black color. Aromas of black fruits with spices and ink overtones. Tannins are in the same time powerful and velvety. Smoky and pepper overtones express wonderfully the Syrah variety on granitic soil. According to the vintage, the wine can be kept from 30 to 60 years, indeed from 50 to 75 years.

Vineyard

Shallow, sandy, leached, brown soils, from Tournon granite, situated at the top of the Hermitage hill, near the chapel, in a locality known as l’Ermite. The characteristics of Tournon granite are: A texture referred to as “à dentsde cheval” (horse toothed) or porphyroid (i.e. with coarse-grained inclusions in the middle of minerals of smaller size). The composition’s special characteristics: These same coarse grains are orthoclase macrocrystals, K-feldspar the abundance of which means that this granite is classed as “alkaline granite”. 120 year old vines on very poor granite soils (with the exception of vines planted to replace dead vine plants). A large part of the vineyard is pre-phylloxera or consisting of vines replaced by “marcotting” (layering) (non-grafted, without rootstock). This vineyard has been biodynamically grown since 1991.

Estate

With roots dating back to 1808, M. CHAPOUTIER is one of the oldest companies in the Rhône Valley. Yet, its world renown and the quality of wine can truly be accredited to the arrival of Michel Chapoutier in 1990. His willingness to change the set way, thirst for knowledge and open-mindedness, together with his drive to seek, discover and reflect the full potential of our terroirs, letting the soils express their true character, has put our wines firmly on the wine world map. This philosophy is what gives our wines their signature style, forms the basis of the M. CHAPOUTIER ethos and drives our team to reveal the very best of what the soils have to offer.

Vinification

Very late harvesting by hand at optimum phenolic maturity (for better extractability of skin compounds). The 100% destalked grapes are vinified in concrete tanks. Maceration lasts 4 to 6 weeks in order to obtain silky, stable tannins that will give the wine very long aging potential. Temperatures above 30°C are desirable to favour texture (polymerization of tannins) over aromas. Only free run wine is used for this wine. Maturing: 20% of the wine is aged in new barrels, 20% in barrels already used for 1 vintage, 30% in barrels of 2 vintages, and the balance in concrete vats.

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