| Region of production: | Hermitage; Saint-Joseph |
| Winery Location: | Mauves |
| Year Established: | 1481 |
Vineyard Holdings
6.48 ha
Hermitage: 13.9 ha
- Les Bessards: Syrah on rocky granite.
- l’Hermite: Syrah on granite soils; Roussanne on loess; Marsanne on clay-lime.
- Péléat: Syrah on alluvial stones, silex and clay soils; Marsanne, planted in 1910 on sandy granite.
- Le Méal: Syrah on alluvial granite stones with clay-lime.
- Rocoules: Marsanne and Roussanne on clay-lime soils.
- Maison Blanche: Marsanne from soils of alluvial stones with clay-lime.
Saint-Joseph (5 ha of Syrah)
- Dardouilles
- Les Oliviers
- Pichonnier
- Bachasson (1.5 ha): Vines planted from 1996-2002 on hard granite soils.
Crozes-Hermitage
- Gros des Vignes (0.9 ha): Syrah planted from 2003-04 on granite, sand, and loess soils.
Top Wines Produced & Inaugural Vintages
- Hermitage Blanc: 80-85% Marsanne, 15-20% Roussanne.
- Hermitage Rouge: Les Bessards forms the core of this blend of seven climats.
- Hermitage Rouge “Ermitage Cuvée Cathelin:“ A barrel selection done just before bottling, produced only in top years (1990, 1991, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2009 and 2010 to date) and only if the quality of the regular cuvée is not compromised. Inaugural vintage 1990.
- Hermitage Vin de Paille: Average 1,000 bottles (375 ml) produced.
Average Total Production
- 60,000 bottles
Summary
One of the legendary wine families of France, Domaine Jean-Louis Chave has, since 1481, been passed down from father to son for 16 generations. The family initially grew Saint-Joseph wines before phylloxera wiped out their vineyards on the hillsides above the domaine at Mauves. A wise ancestor chose to purchase land on the hill of Hermitage and rebuild the domaine there. Now widely considered the greatest grower on the hill, Chave makes world-class white and red Hermitage with exceptional ageability. One of the keys to the Chaves’ success is their ability to blend across multiple climats to create the best possible wine in any given year. To maintain this enviable track record, they do not produce single parcel “reserve” wines, believing that the blended wine is the best expression of the terroir of Hermitage. However, in top vintages they do produce 200 cases of a red, barrel-selection “Ermitage Cuvée Cathelin” that is as expensive as it is rare.
Gérard Chave took over the domaine in 1970 and brought it to worldwide fame; his son Jean-Louis Chave joined in 1992 after completing undergraduate studies at the University of Connecticut and receiving an enology degree from UC Davis. Jean-Louis has also built up the family’s négociant business, J.L. Chave Selection, presenting a more affordable opportunity to experience the family’s winemaking skills as their domaine wines have become increasingly rare and expensive.
Style & Vinification Techniques
The Chave wines have evolved a bit since Jean-Louis took charge: There is a bit more new oak (10-30% for the reds and up to 33% for the whites – though this has decreased recently), and the wines are cleaner than his father’s. The reds are de-stemmed completely, punched down, fermented in stainless steel and oak vats, then aged in 228-liter barriques for 26 months. The white is whole-cluster pressed and 90% barrel-fermented in up to one-third new oak, then aged for 18 months. All wines are blended in tank prior to bottling. The strength of the domaine lies in the diversity of their holdings across the hill of Hermitage and the family’s mastery of blending, passed down from generation to generation. These factors, combined with their sensitivity to the vintage’s conditions and the classic expression of Hermitage, allow the Chaves to consistently produce some of the finest wines of the appellation.
Producer Website: N/A