Les Bessards, Le Méal, and L'Hermite: The top climats in Northern Rhône's Hermitage AOC

Variations in soil type, combined with elevation differentials, have resulted in a number of distinctive planting zones (climats) within the Northern Rhône's Hermitage AOC. The variations in soil type are reflected in pH differences (almost neutral at Les Bessards and 8.5 at Le Méal) and this, according to Jean-Louis Chave, "provides one of the most simple arguments in favor of blending the wines from different climats" (Livingstone-Learmonth). With two exceptions (Chapoutier's Le Pavillon and Delas' Les Bessards), the leading red wines of the region are multi-climat blends.

Truly understanding the wines of the region requires a familiarity with the characteristics of the individual climats. We begin that effort with a review of the three most important: Les Bessards, Le Méal, and l'Hermite (drawing primarily from John Livingstone-Learmonth's The Wines of Northern Rhône). The geographical scope of the three zones is outlined in red below.

The three most important climats in Hermitage encircled in red.

(Underlying map sourced from tenzing.com)

Les Bessards
Les Bessards is 'the beating heart" of Hermitage, its biggest and best climat. This south-facing climat starts out flat in its lowest reaches and steepens markedly with increasing altitude. The soil story here is granite -- in varying forms of decomposition. The locals divide the climat into three zones based largely on the composition of the granite in each (see map slice below).

Approximate allocation of sub-climat boundaries and
soils distribution (underlying map slice a screen shot
from tenzing.com)

Les Bessards is primarily a Syrah site. The table below shows the main growers and the characteristics of the wines they produce.

Table 1. The role of Les Bessards in leading Hermitage red wines

Producer/Wine	Climat Role	Wine Character
Chapoutier/Pavillon	Source	“the Bessards granite gives a rigorous, mineral impact in its wines — there is a tension in the wine from the granite.”
Delas	Main contributor	“… complexity is the principal characteristic of our Bessards cuvée. Its richness sits well on a thoroughbred structure …”
Jaboulet/La Chapelle	1/4th	“… the finesse in their Bessards Syrah comes from the rotted granite …”
Chave/Hermitage	Foundation wine	“… our essential climat — you cannot make a Grand Hermitage without it … the frame around which we work; no granite — no long life.”

Source: Derived from The Wines of the Northern Rhone.

Delas produces Marsanne wines from a 1-ha plot at the bottom of Les Bessards. The soil here has some granite stones but is "more vegetal, deeper soil than elsewhere" in the climat.

Le Méal
This is the second ranked of the three great Hermitage climats and is a "perfect counterpoint" to Les Bessards:

• Les Bessards is oriented verticallly while Le Méal is oriented horizontally
• Les Bessards soil is all about granite while there are a multiplicity of soil types at Le Méal
• Le Méal is hotter than Les Bessards
• Largely due to the two preceding points, Le Méal produces "open, warm-structured Syrahs" versus the brooding and severe wines of its counterpart.

This south-facing climat is one of the steepest in the AOC, starting out flat and then rising quickly to its maximum height of 240 m.

The soil is comprised of light-colored glacier stones and loose soils of silt and sand from Tertiary era alpine glaciers. The stones radiate the sun's heat resulting in higher temperatures than in Les Bessards. Unlike the pH-neutrality at Les Bessards, the soils at Le Méal are alkaline. The soil difference between the two results in redder fruit being produced at Le Méal.

The soils at lower elevations contain a little more clay and are richer as a result. They are suitable for both red and white grapes.

The main producers in this climat are as follows:

• Jaboulet -- largest holder (6.8 ha); product from this climat is the core contributor (25% - 50%) to the producer's La Chapelle
• Chapoutier
• J-L Chave -- provider of flesh to Hermitage
• Sorrel -- Le Gréal (fruit from Le Méal combined with some Greffieux fruit)
• Bernard Faurie -- Le Méal

Chapoutier finds the wines of this climat to be "... very silken, full of ripe fruits" while Livingstone-Learmonth sees them as "... gloriously sumptuous, rich wines that can hold animal and meat undertones stemming from the natural heat" of the location.

L'Hermite
L'Hermite runs across the top of the Les Bessards and Lé Meal climats and, in one area, has a penninsula-like out-jutting that temporarily separates the two.

There is a mix of soils in this climat -- granite, crumbling granite, loess, and alpine detritus -- resulting in sudden changes in soil composition even in vineyard rows. The figure below shows the soils distribution and the grape varieties by soil type.

The dominant influence on L'Hermite are the loess and alluvial stones of its central and eastern portions. These soils can run up to 0.5 m in depth. The alluvial stones (galets) aid fruit ripening. "I would place L'Hermite as one of the three best white wine sites at Hermitage -- those that give the most luscious, ripe Marsanne fruit from mature vines ..." (Livingstone-Learmonth). Jean-Louis Chave sees L'Hermite as a site for white wines of "balance and finesse."

Syrah vines are planted on granite and alpine glacier residues. "L'Hermite's red wines always carry freshness and spice, ... In some vintages, there can be a lot of maturity, but still a sound acidity. Its tannins are usually quite tight and vivacious" (Jean-Louis Chave in The Wines of the Northern Rhone).

In addition to Chapoutier and Chave, the Cooperative and Guigal also grow fruit in this climat.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

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

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Northern Rhone Rocks: Soils of the sub-region

The Rhone Valley vineyard architecture has been shaped by tectonic, hydrologic, and wind forces applied to the evolving landscape over eons, as described in a prior post. The result has been two distinctly different vineyard settings: (i) vineyards on the edge of faults (Northern Rhone) and (ii) vineyards set in sedimentary basins (Southern Rhone). We address the Northern Rhone vineyards in this post based on the work of Jacques Fanet (Great Wine Terroirs).

The aftershock associated with the Alpine folding (started in the Upper Cretaceous and reached a crescendo in the Miocene) caused an uplift in the eastern edge of the Massif Central with implications for Burgundy, Beaujolais and the Rhone Valley. In the Rhone Valley, the uplift was non-uniform. Rather, it occurred in fault-delimited tranches that front on the river's northern course. One such fault is responsible for the river's rightward jog at Vienne prior to returning to its "normal" southerly course in the area of Condrieu.

Bordering the river for its entire northern course, and varying in its width, is a band of alluvial soil which has been continuously brought downriver from the Alps. Most of the riverbank towns in the Northern Rhone are built on beds of this alluvia.

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.

The Côte-Rotie is the first appellation encountered on the river's southward trek and its 60º, terraced slopes are dark brown, weathered as they are from Mica bedrock. The soils in the south of the appellation are thin, lighter in color, and weathered from Gneiss bedrock. The southwest jog of the Rhône between Vienne and Condrieu provides excellent southeastern exposure for vines. Syrah thrives here.

Beginning at Condrieu AOC, the right bank is granitic rock capped by loess. These granitic scarps give way to metamorphic rocks in the Saint-Joseph appellation opposite the confluence of the Dolon River. The north-south flow of the river in this zone provides an easterly exposure on the cliff face, undesirable for grape-growing in this region. Instead, a series of northeast-to-southwest valleys provide south, southeast, and east exposures and are exploited for vineyard plantings.

The Saint-Joseph appellation is granitic to the north, gives way to metamorphic rock just north of the St. Vallier cut, and then reverts to granite opposite Tain-l'Hermitage.

From Vienne to Saint-Vallier, the left bank of the river still reflects the multi-level terraces formed as the river recut its banks in the migration to its current course. In the places where best preserved, a total of four terrace levels are on display. 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 encompasees the granite of the Hill of Hermitage plus some of the upper-terrace strata. The Crozes-Hermitage appellation is inclusive of the Hermitage soils as well as the Miocene and lower-terrace soils. Terrace soils are primarily clay-limestone from the Tertiary period.

For the remainder of the river's Northern Valley course, the left bank displays lower terrace strata and one outcropping of upper-terrace strata overlaying Miocene deposits in the upper reaches of the Isere tributary. The river continues to hug the right bank along the Massif through the remainder of the Saint-Joseph appellation.

Cornas AOC is also a granitic appellation but is shelterted from the north winds by a Jurassic limestone outcrop called Les Arlettes. The river and the granitic scarp begin to diverge in the vicinity of Les Arlettes with the Massif trending southwest and the river to the southeast. The space thus created is occupied by lower-terrace strata.

Saint-Péray AOC is the southernmost of the Northern Rhone appellations. The Massif Central intrudes into the appellation in its northwest quadrant and combines with a similarly oriented Jurassic limestone outcrop -- Crussol -- to hem in a band of Miocene-Pliocene strata. The Saint-Péray soil is a complex mix of limestone, clay-limestone, and granite which owes its composition to a number of donors (rhone-wines.com): (i) granite from the Primary Period contributes a hint of silica; (ii) Jurassic limestones from the Secondary Era; (iii) marine deposits from the Tertiary Period are the source of today's clay-limestone soils; (iv) a veneer of loess from the Quaternary Period and Major Glaciations; and (v) alluvial deposits carried down from the Alps by the Rhône River. The vineyards themselves extend for 75 ha on the gentle lower terrace slopes at the foot of the Crussol Hill with south and southeast exposures. Marsanne and Roussanne are the allowed grape varieties in the appellation.

As the Massif Central rapidly exits stage right, space is created wherein Vocontian Trough and sedimentary basin geology dominate. This is the realm of the Southern Rhone. Its geology will be revealed in a subsequent post.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme