Hermitage, Rhône Valley
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The Chave family has been growing grapes in the Rhone Valley for more than 500 years. The estate is currently managed by Jean Louis, an enology graduate from California's Davis University, who succeeded his father in that role. The estate produces St. Joseph Offerus wine, the highly acclaimed Vin de Paille, but their most important label by far is Hermitage, made in both red and white.
The Chaves family owns 15 hectares of cultivated land on the Hermitage hillside. The crops are located in several diverse habitats, the most famous of which is Les Bassards. The blending of fruit from different terroirs results in a rich, complex and balanced wine.
Hermitage is a vineyard lying on rocky soil, based on granite, slate and limestone rocks. The vines belonging to the Chave family are on average 50 years old, but the oldest vines can exceed eighty. The grapes harvested from them are mostly de-stemmed and vinified in a combination of cement, steel and oak tanks before they go for several months of maturation in barrels.
The 2007 vintage started out rainy, lasted through an erratic summer and fortunately ended with a warm and sunny autumn. The fruit thus reached good ripeness and was able to form the basis of good wines. These are pleasantly complex and quickly accessible - they should be drunk within 20 years of their release.
Hermitage 2007 is a unique wine experience, definitely not only for lovers of the syrah varietal.
