Hermitage AOC
The most powerful Northern Rhône Syrah appellation. Single hill (~135 hectares) producing concentrated, age-worthy reds and rich whites.
About Hermitage
Hermitage is one of the wine world’s most distinctive small appellations — a single south-facing granite hill of only about 135 hectares, rising dramatically from the Rhône river at Tain-l’Hermitage. The terroir is purely granitic; the south-facing exposure creates a microclimate that ripens Syrah more fully than anywhere else in the Northern Rhône. The reds (Syrah) are among the most powerful and age-worthy expressions of the grape, with substantial tannins and capacity for 25-40+ year evolution. The whites (Marsanne-dominated, with Roussanne) are richer and more powerful than equivalent white Rhône wines; the rare Vin de Paille (straw wine) is a botrytised dessert wine from late-harvested grapes. Hermitage’s producer hierarchy includes Jean-Louis Chave (the apex), Paul Jaboulet Aîné (La Chapelle), Marc Sorrel, M. Chapoutier, Delas Frères, and others.
Terroir & regulation
Principal producers
- Jean-Louis Chave
- Paul Jaboulet Aîné (La Chapelle)
- M. Chapoutier
- Marc Sorrel
Editorial notes
Hermitage reds cellar 20-40+ years; whites cellar 10-15 years. The La Chapelle Hermitage from Jaboulet (1961, 1978, 1990) is one of the most legendary Syrah wines ever made.