Hermitage is a

French wine French wine is produced all throughout France, in quantities between 50 and 60 million hectolitres per year, or 7–8 billion bottles. France is one of the largest wine producers in the world, along with Italian, Spanish, and Ameri ...

'' Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée'' (AOC) in the northern Rhône wine region of France south of

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of th ...

. It produces mostly red wine from the Syrah grape; however, small quantities of white wine are also produced from Roussane and

Marsanne Marsanne is a white wine grape, most commonly found in the Northern Rhône region. It is often blended with Roussanne. In Savoie the grape is known as ''grosse roussette''. Outside France it is also grown in Switzerland (where it is known as ...

grapes. The hill is seen by some as the spiritual home of the Syrah grape variety.

History

According to legend, the Knight Gaspard de Stérimberg returned home wounded in 1224 from the

Albigensian Crusade The Albigensian Crusade or the Cathar Crusade (; 1209–1229) was a military and ideological campaign initiated by Pope Innocent III to eliminate Catharism in Languedoc, southern France. The Crusade was prosecuted primarily by the French crown ...

and was given permission by the Queen of France to build a small refuge to recover in, where he remained living as a hermit (''ermite'' in French). The chapel on top was built in honor of Saint Christopher and today is owned by the

negociant A winemaker or vintner is a person engaged in winemaking. They are generally employed by wineries or wine companies, where their work includes: *Cooperating with viticulturists *Monitoring the maturity of grapes to ensure their quality and to dete ...

Paul Jaboulet Âiné. Louis XIII made the wine a wine of the court after being offered a glass during a visit to the region in 1642. Louis XIV presented King Charles II of England with 200 casks of fine wine including examples from Hermitage,

Champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, sp ...

and

Burgundy Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former Regions of France, administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Duke of Burgundy, Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11 ...

. The

Romanovs The House of Romanov (also transcribed Romanoff; rus, Романовы, Románovy, rɐˈmanəvɨ) was the reigning dynasty, imperial house of Russia from 1613 to 1917. They achieved prominence after the Tsarina, Anastacia of Russia, Anastasi ...

also imported the wine. In the 19th century, wines from Bordeaux were often "hermitaged" (''hermitagé'', that is, blended with Hermitage) and could fetch higher prices as a result. The appellation was established in its modern form in 1937.

Geography

The appellation fans out from the town of

Tain l'Hermitage Tain-l'Hermitage (; oc, Tinh de l'Ermitatge or ), commonly known as Tain, is a commune in the French department of Drôme, southeastern France. Geography It is located on the left bank of the river Rhône, opposite Tournon-sur-Rhône, which is ...

. The vines grow on the south west side of a steep granite hill facing the afternoon sun and can be divided into a number of smaller vineyards. These are "''Les Bessards''" to the west, "''L'Hermite'' and "''La Chapelle'' on the top of the mountain, and "''Bessards''", "''Le Méal''", "''Les Greffieux''", and "''Murets''" to the east. With of vines, in soil composed greatly of granite and gravels, Hermitage produces 730,000 bottles of mostly red wines, annually.

Grape Varieties

Syrah is the primary red grape of Hermitage, mostly used on its own although the appellation rules do allow the addition of 15% or less of

and/or

Roussanne Roussanne is a white wine grape grown originally in the Rhône wine region in France, where it is often blended with Marsanne. It is the only other white variety, besides Marsanne, allowed in the northern Rhône appellations of Crozes-Hermitage ...

grapes. Hermitage reds tend toward being very earthy, with aromas of leather, red berries, earth, and cocoa/coffee. Because of the high levels of tannin they are usually aged longer than American or Australian Syrahs and are often cellared up to 40 years. Rich, dry white wines are also produced from a blend of

and

. These wines are also usually left to age, for up to 15 years.

Vin de paille Straw wine, or raisin wine, is a wine made from grapes that have been dried to concentrate their juice. The result is similar to that of the ice wine process, but is a much older process and suitable for warm climates. The technique dates back ...

or ''Straw Wine'' is also produced in this region.

Notable Producers

The most notable producer of Hermitage is Domaine Jean-Louis Chave, whose estate can trace its origins back to 1481. Others of note include Chapoutier, Jaboulet, and Delas.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Cotes du Rhone wines Web Sites
Rhône wine AOCs 1930s establishments in France