Maison M. Chapoutier 1808

Ermitage Cte Rotie Vienne winesSaint Christopher’s hillside wines Tournon wines

Ermitage 17 Strimberg Henry Gaspard14 Anne of Castille Alexander Dumas Nicholas

Marsanne50

14% 24 48 50% 600L

10 12

30 60 50 75

The words that best describe Maison M. Chapoutier, an Estate that nurtures its vineyards with the greatest respect for natural balance and terroir since 1808. The family motto Fac et Spera do and hope says it all. Two words that sum up all the patience and daring that this art demands: patience in relation to nature which presides; daring for the winemaker, who observes, chooses and assists. The wine will be the faithful expression of this alchemy.

Ermitage wines possess a rich historical past. They were appreciated as early on as Roman times when they were enjoyed (as well as Cte Rotie wines) under the name of “Vienne wines” and were later to be called “Saint Christopher’s hillside wines” because of a chapel there bearing the saint’s name. They were also to be known of as ” Tournon wines “.
The name of Ermitage probably first appeared in the XVIIth Century in memory of Henry Gaspard, a knight from Strimberg: who having come back from the Crusades (in the XIIIth Century) and tired of waging war, lived as a hermite on a hillside which had been given to him by Anne of Castille, Queen of Spain. There he planted a vineyard. Alexander Dumas as well as the Tsar Nicholas II are among the many connoisseurs of this particularly highly estimated wine.

Country of Origin:
Rhone, France

Type:
White/Blanc (Still)

Grape Variety:
Marsanne. The vines (more than 50 years old) give low production and guarantee high quality.

Vinification:
The grapes are hand-harvested generally at very good maturity (the potential alcohol content is above 14% vol.). After pressing the entire grapes, the must is cold settling between 24 and 48 hours.
About 50% of the volume is vinified in big new wooden barrels (600 liters), the others ferment in vats.

Ageing:
Before bottling, the wine is aged in casks, with stirrings of the lees, and is checked by frequent tastings.
This is organoleptic criteria which determine the length of the wooded period. In general, bottling happens from 10 to 12 months after harvesting.

Tasting Notes:
Colour : golden yellow, brilliant.
Nose : intense, very mineral, celery overtones, slight and well-integrated hint of wood.
Mouth : ample attack, well-rounded, fine exotic freshness, roasted almond.
According to the vintage, the wine can be kept from 30 to 60 years, indeed from 50 to 75 years.