Wines from Hermitage

80 km south of Lyon, one of the most famous wines in the world grows – Hermitage. So coveted that the name was stolen and used for exceptional red wines on two other continents: the USA and Australia. The steep slopes of granite above the village of Tain l’Hermitage are magical. With only 125 hectares, they are about the size of a Premier Cru in Bordeaux. By the way, Hermitage wine was occasionally used to improve Bordeaux wines until the middle of the 19th century.

The heat-retaining granite, along with the southern exposure, helps the grapes (two-thirds red, one-third white) reach beautiful and perfect ripeness. Hermitage wines can easily age for two to three decades and are often mistaken for great Bordeaux wines. Highly sought after and closely associated with the myth of “Hermitage” are the wines of Domaine Jean-Louis Chave. And rightly so. They are among the finest and longest-living wines of this region.

Probably, there is no other vineyard in France that has been more meticulously mapped and studied – the individual parcels on Hermitage are called “climats.” Among the 13, the most famous are probably Le Méal, Les Greffieux, Les Bessards, and La Chapelle (the name refers to a chapel at the top, owned by Paul Jaboulet Aîné). Since 1937, the wine-growing area has enjoyed AOC status, and three municipalities have the right to use the AOC Hermitage designation. The name is said to derive from a hermit, as legend has it that knight Henri Gaspard de Sterimberg stopped here in 1124 on his way back from a crusade – and remained as a hermit for 30 years.