Marsanne
75cl * Organic & Biodynamic * 14.5% ABV * Hermitage, Northern Rhône, South of France
Although now better known for its red wines, Hermitage was originally a white wine growing district and “Le Méal” demonstrates its great history. Michel Chapoutier claims to produce it as “a service to gastronomy" hence the name. “Le Méal” is a 2 hectare parcel of low-yielding 50 year old Marsanne vines. These are grown on the Méal hillside, a high-terraced slope scattered with large pebbles which retain the heat and encourage the ripening of the grapes.
The harvest, totally destemmed, is vinified in a small cement vat. High temperature maceration enables a good extraction of grape potential, to obtain soft and stable tannins, compulsory to keep the wine for a very long time. Michel feels that this wine ages “forever”. In fact, when presenting a sample of the 2021, he said that he had opened a bottle of 1900 the month before, which was fine! Only the free-run juice is used in this single vineyard.
Pair with faux gras, crayfish, lobster, fish, poultry in sauces, goat's cheese, blue cheese, and will stand up to spicy dishes and curries.
~ Taurus Tasting Notes from a tasting on 11th October 2022 ~
“Tomato leaf is very much the signature note on the nose (one joker in the audience mentioned ketchup which was a bit over the top) with notes of quince and white flower. White pear on the palate with a lovely nutty greengage Marsanne character. Soft and creamy with great body and length. Outstanding wine. Despite Michel’s optimism about aging, we would say 2024 – 2040.”
"What an extraordinary interplay of smoky fresh pineapple and stony mineral character this super-concentrated but medium-bodied white Rhone has. The south and the north of wine (in the widest sense) meet in this singularity of the marsanne grape. Gigantic minerality in the totally focused and extremely long, pure finish. From a steep, south-facing slope. Enormous aging potential. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold." 100/100 points, Stuart Pigott, JamesSuckling.com, May 2024
"From the warmer, south-facing Le Méal lieu-dit and always the first to be harvested, the 2021 Ermitage Le Méal Blanc is another pure, elegant, incredibly impressive white offering notes of honeyed stone fruits, roasted hazelnuts, brioche, and crushed rock. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated, and opulent, it's more expressive and expansive than the more chiseled, elegant De L'Orée, but the quality is basically the same. It too needs 3-4 years of bottle age." 97+/100 points, Jeb Dunnuck (December 2022)