| Region of production: | Hermitage; also owns vineyards in every major Northern Rhône appellation |
| Winery Location: | Tain l’Hermitage |
| Year Established: | 1808 |
Vineyard Holdings
6.48 ha
77.5 ha in the Northern Rhône
Hermitage: 19.5 ha Syrah, 12 ha Marsanne
- Bessards: 9 ha Syrah, planted in the 1910s, 1950s and 1979-80; hard granite soils
- Méal: 3 ha Syrah and 2 ha Marsanne, planted in the 1910s and 1940s; alluvial and chalk soil
- L’Hermite: 3.3 ha Syrah, planted in the 1910s and 1920s; 4.3 ha Marsanne, planted in the 1900s and 1960s; soil is loess and limestone
- Greffieux: 2.7 ha Syrah, planted in the late 1940s; soil is alluvial and clay
- Murets: 4.8 ha Marsanne, planted 1918-1920s and 1960s
Côte-Rôtie: 5 ha Syrah
- Côte Blonde: 1.3 ha Syrah, planted in 1940s and 1970s; soil is decomposed sandy granite
- Côte Brune: 1.4 ha Syrah, planted in 1940s; soil is schist
Saint-Joseph: 7.5 ha Syrah, 3.5 ha Marsanne
- Saint-Joseph: 3 ha total; Syrah planted in the 1930s and 1950s, Marsanne planted in the 1950s; granite soil
Top Wines Produced
- Ermitage Blanc “De l’Orée”: Marsanne from the oldest vines on Murets
- Ermitage Blanc “L’Hermite”: Marsanne from named vineyard; vines over 100 years old
- Ermitage Rouge “L’Hermite”: Syrah from older vines on named vineyard
- Ermitage Blanc “Le Méal”: Marsanne from named vineyard’s 1910 and 1940s vines
- Ermitage Rouge “Le Méal”: Syrah from named vineyard’s 1910 and 1940s vines
- Ermitage Rouge “Les Greffieux”: Syrah from named vineyard’s 1940s plantings
- Ermitage Rouge “Le Pavillon”: Syrah from 1910s plantings on Bessards
- Côte-Rôtie “La Mordorée”: Syrah from the 1940s plantings on Côte Blonde and Côte Brune
- Saint Joseph Blanc/Rouge “Les Granits”: from the old vines on the Saint-Joseph parcel
- Hermitage “Vin de Paille”
Inaugural Vintages
- Ermitage Blanc “De l’Orée” in 1991 (though there had been a mixed parcel cuvée with this name prior to 1991)
- Ermitage Blanc“Le Méal” in 1997; Ermitage Blanc“L’Hermite” in 1999
- Ermitage Rouge“Le Pavillon” in 1989 (though there had been a mixed parcel cuvée with this name prior to 1989)
- Ermitage Rouge“Le Méal” in 1989; Ermitage Rouge“L’Hermite” in 1996
- Ermitage Rouge “Les Greffieux” in 2001
Average Total Production
- N/A
Summary
Michel Chapoutier took over this venerable family firm in 1990 at the age of 26. He immediately instigated changes that would have many critics place M. Chapoutier at the top of the list of quality Rhône producers. He lowered the yields in their vineyards, converted the estate vineyards to biodynamic farming in 1995 and began producing single-site micro-cuvées that rapidly became collector’s items. He also made the Chapoutier bottle labels the first in the world to have Braille descriptions. Michel is a man of boundless energy: In addition to growing the estate’s Rhône holdings and raising their image worldwide, he’s also founded estates in Australia and Portugal.
Style & Vinification Techniques
The Chapoutier wines are very modern and bold in flavor, all wines being the product of low yields in the vineyard and very late harvesting, with strong oak signatures. All grapes are sorted, and the whites are whole-cluster pressed. The top whites are fermented in half new oak demi-muids and half stainless steel, except for L’Hermite Blanc, which is fermented in 100% new oak demi-muids. The reds are completely de-stemmed, fermented in small concrete tanks with four to six weeks on the skins, then aged in barriques (50-100% new for the top wines). All of the reds are bottled with no fining or filtration.
Producer Website: M. Chapoutier