On the nose (acacia) honey, nuts and caramelized citrus aromas. In the mouth very elegant and superbly balanced. The finish is characterised by an explosion of flavours. The aftertaste is subtly discreet, but stays around for quite a while.
This Hermitage Blanc is a blend of 2/3 Marsanne and 1/3 Roussanne, both indigenous of the northern Rhône Valley. Neither Roussanne nor Marsanne are particularly easy grapes to work with.
Both white varieties are allowed in the red wines of the Hermitage AOC. A tradition that goes back to the old days, when this white grape varieties were planted among the red Syrah vines to soften the resulting field blend wines. Similar to what happened slightly norther in Côte Rôtie, where Syrah was complemented by the white variety Viognier.
For this bottle I paid around 50 EUR in 2015, while in Tain l’Hermitage visiting the producer Paul Jaboulet Aîné of La Chapelle 1961 fame. A legendary wine that Robert Parker has described as “one of the three or four greatest red wines I have ever tasted”.
The name La Chapelle comes from a tiny chapel built on top of the Hermitage hill by the Knight Gaspard de Sterimberg, who returning home wounded from the Albigensian Crusade was given permission to build a small refuge to recover in, where he remained living as a hermit.
Country: France
Region: Hermitage
Grapes: Marsanne, Roussanne
Type: White
Vintage: 2011
Producer: Paul Jaboulet Aîné
Price range: Extra (50-100 US$)
Pascal’s Enjoyment Index: 4/5