About this WINE
Domaine Marc Sorrel
Marc retired at the end of 2018, but his son, Guillaume, is now firmly at the helm. The 3.5-hectare domaine comprises parcels of old vines on the incredibly steep slopes of Hermitage and Crozes-Hermitage. For this talented and dedicated grower, simplicity and tradition are key. The wines made with low intervention, minimal de-stemming and no new wood in a charmingly unassuming cellar in the centre of Tain-l’Hermitage.
Guillaume was really pleased with his ’20s, describing them as smooth with good ripeness, but also displaying sharpness and minerality. He explains how this was helped in part by the late rains of ’19, ensuring good water reserves to his old vines, but also an early harvest on 24th August that kept all alcohol levels moderate. The quantity is, as always, regretfully small, but the quality is outstanding. This domaine continues to excel year on year, and the wines prove themselves to be exceptionally age-worthy.
Crozes-Hermitage
Crôzes-Hermitage is the largest AC in the Northern Rhône, producing 10 times the volume of Hermitage and over half of the Northern Rhône’s total production. The appellation was created in 1937 with the single commune of Crozes, which is situated northeast of the hill of Hermitage. Wines are now produced from 11 different communes.
Its vineyards surround the hill of Hermitage on equally hilly terrain where richer soils produce wines that are softer and fruitier, with a more forward style. The Syrah variety is used, but legally Marsanne and Roussanne can be added to the blend (up to 15 percent). In the north, the commune of Gervans is similar to Les Bessards in Hermitage, with granite soil producing tannic reds that need time to evolve.While in Larnage, in the south, the heavy clay soils give the wine breadth and depth (albeit they can sometimes be flabby), the soils to the east of river on higher ground comprise stony, sandy and clay limestone, making them ideal for the production of white wines.
The best reds are produced on the plateaus of Les Chassis and Les Sept Chenin, which straddles the infamous N7 road to the south of Tain. Here the land is covered with cailloux roulés, which resemble the small pudding stones fond in Châteauneuf.
The wines can vary hugely in quality and style, and the majority of the reds tend to be fairly light. Many of the wines are made by a variation of the macération carbonique technique, bottled no later than one year after the vinification. The best producers, however, use traditional fermentation techniques.
There are small amounts of white wine made from Marsanne and Roussanne, accounting for approximately 10 percent of the appellation. The finest whites are produced from around Mercurol.
Recommended producers: Paul Jaboulet, Chapoutier, Colombier, Ferraton
Best vintages: 2006, 2005, 2004, 1999, 1995, 1990, 1989, 1988,
Marsanne
Marsanne is the predominant white grape variety grown in the Northern Rhône where it is used to produce white St. Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage, and Hermitage. It is a tricky grape to cultivate, being susceptible to diseases and being particularly sensitive to extreme climatic changes - if growing conditions are too cool, then it fails to ripen fully and produces thin, insipid wines, while, if too hot, the resultant wines are blowsy, overblown and out of balance.
In the Northern Rhône it tends to be blended with around 15% Rousanne and produces richly aromatic, nutty wines which age marvellously - the best examples are from Hermitage and particularly from Chapoutier. Increasingly it is being grown in the Southern Rhône and Languedoc Roussillon where it is bottled as a single varietal or blended with Roussanne, Viognier, and sometimes Chardonnay. It is also grown very successfully in Victoria in Australia where some of the world`s oldest Marsanne vines are to be found.
Buying options
Add to wishlist
Description
A relatively rare beast, Crozes Blanc can often be mistaken for white Hermitage, especially if, as in this instance, the vines are 60-years-old and located in the enclave of Larnage, with its deep clay soils, apparently from the Carolinian period, whenever that may have been. Marsanne and Roussanne share the honours and have had an elevage of 15 months. Notes of agrume and sour honey reinforce the bold statement made in my first sentence.
Simon Field MW, Rhône Wine Buyer
M. Sorrel’s legendary reticence was somewhat compromised during my November visit by diluvium weather, a good deal of which was penetrating his Cave in the centre of Tain l’Hermitage. Once sang froid had been restored, he was far from immodest in his praise for 2012, a small but excellent year, not unlike 2010 in his opinion, and far less astringent than 2009. Also in his opinion.
wine at a glance
Delivery and quality guarantee