The wines from Hermitage (also spelled Ermitage or L’ Hermitage) are some of the most prestigious and sought after in the world. Red Hermitage have set a global standard for the syrahgrape variety which many have tried to replicate in other growing regions around the world. White Hermitage, made predominantly from Marsanne, and sometimes Roussane varietals, are less famous but similarly rich and full-bodied as their red counterparts. It is believed that wine making here dates back to the Roman period, but there are not reliable records prior to the 1600′s. Hermitage was an official wine of the 17th Century French court under King Louis XIII, whose son often presented visiting foreign royalty with the wine as a gift. The Romanovs of Russia imported Hermitage for their own consumption and use at court. These wines are full-bodied and intense. The reds exude flavors of spice and dark fruit, with aromas of coffee, red berries, and leather; the whites smack of honeysuckle, tropical fruit and minerals. While they can be consumed at any age, they will reward with cellaring for more than three decades for the red, and easily 15 years for the whites. The intensity found in their youth can mellow with age, and the flavors of berry and spice integrate into a rich velvety palate. Hermitage is limited essentially to less than 350 planted acres of a granite hillside in the Northern Rhone just behind the village of Tain L’Hermitage and cannot expand. The hill faces south, allowing for maximum sun exposure throughout the day. Along with the ripening from the sun, the grapes also benefit from the heat stored daily in the granite soil, which allows them to ripen more completely than in other areas. The relatively thin topsoil forces the vines to work hard to find nutrients, and this in turn limits canopy leaves, putting energy and intensity into the berries themselves.
Posted on: Sat, 24 May 2014 15:23:42 +0000
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