Hermitage AOC (Northern Rhône): An overview of the physical and built environments

Digress (a progressive, hip, Orlando-based wine retailer) recently paired up with Progress Wine Group (a regional Distributor) to present a tasting of Domaine Jean-Louis Chave's wines from (primarily) the Hermitage and St Joseph AOCs of the Northern Rhone. I will report on the tasting but, as is my wont, will first provide some background on the subject zones, beginning with Hermitage.

I have previously treated the construction of the Rhone wine region landscape. With the exception of the Croze-Hermitage and Hermitage AOCs, all of the Northern Rhone appellations are located on the right-hand-side of the river, clinging precariously to the steep metamorphic or granitic slopes of the Massif Central.

Beginning at Saint-Vallier, the Rhone cut its way through the metamorphic rocks and basement granite, providing right-bank-style soils on the left bank between Saint-Vallier and Tain-l'Hermitage. The Hermitage appellation encompasses the granite of the Hill of Hermitage plus some of the upper-terrace strata.

"This is a place of wine pilgrimmage. The birthplace of Syrah. I can think of few appellations with such an emotional draw ..." So said Jamie Goode (wineanorak.com) in describing the hill of Hermitage. As the source of hallowed wines from revered producers such as Domaine Jean-Louis Chave, Chapoutier, Delas, and Jaboulet, the AOC is held in high esteem by winemakers, collectors, and sommeliers the world over.

Hermitage's 137 ha is spread over three communes: Tain-l'Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, and Larnage. The vineyards are south-facing and, thus, protected from the north winds except for the plateau around Maison Blanche and L'Homme and the "out-jutting" at Varogne.

The Hermitage Hill from the heights of Tournon-sur-Rhône.
By David.Monniaux - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3618243

Elevation on the hill ranges from 126 m at the lowest point to 344 m at the summit. Elevation changes is reflected in the wines as a 1º loss in alcohol for every 100 m elevation gain. Planting density is also affected by elevation with the highest and steepest slopes planted at 10,000 vines/ha and lower slopes at 7,000 vines/ha.

James Lawther MW (Understanding Hermitage, Decanter, 3/132/04) arranges the Hermitage soils into three classes: the western granitic band (separated from the Massif Central by the cutting force of the river); the high terraces in the center and east (formed as the river worked towards its present-day course); and the mid and lower terraces (containing alluvial material deposited by the Rhône). The various soil types found in the AOC are shown in the chart below.

Variations in soil type, combined with elevation differentials, has resulted in a number of distinctive planting zones (climats) within the broader AOC. These climats -- and characteristics of a subset -- are presented in the chart below.

The primary grape varieties planted in the AOC are Syrah (red), Marsanne (white), and Rousanne (white). The red wine (76% of the region's production) can contain up to 15% of the primary white grape varieties.

The 5 largest landholders on the hill farm 80% of the available land. The table below idedntifies those producers, the size of their estates, their prestige label, and the climats from which grapes for those labels are sourced.

Producer	Size (ha)	Label	Les Bessards	Le Méal	L’Hermite	Les Greiffieux
Chapoutier	32.5	Le Pavillon	X
		Monier de la Sizeranne	X	X		X
Cave de Tain-l’Hermitage	32	Gambert de Loche	X	X	X
Paul Jaboulet Ainé	25	La Chapelle	X	X		X
Domaine Jean-Louis Chave	14.5	L’Hermitage*	X	X
Delas	10	Les Bessards	X
		Marquise de la Tourette	Mostly

*8 climats in the blend

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