Marc Sorrel Hermitage 2004 – The Respected Boutique Producer Who Makes One of the Greatest Hermitages
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The Hermitage Hillside Vineyards – Sorrel is just to the left
on the steepest slope
“The top cuvee of red Hermitage, the 2004 Hermitage Le Greal (a blend of grapes from the estate’s Greffieux and Meal vineyards) achieved 14% natural alcohol. A pure, well-textured, elegant effort with hints of Pinot Noir-like finesse and sensuality, this medium-bodied 2004 is a noteworthy success in this irregular vintage. Consume it over the next decade.” -Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate
The only way I was able to elbow my way into an allocation of this wine was by providing Marc with 6 bottles from the 1984 vintage, the year his father died and he took over the vineyard. He had run through all of his and I had shown some fortuitous restraint. He was desperate to fill-out his cellar with this symbolic and nostalgic year and suddenly a relationship was born which has lasted until this day.
Hermitage is situated south of Lyon on a dramatic stone-walled terraced hillside of granite, where the Rhone River makes a circular sweep in its trip to the Mediterranean. The great steep hillside vineyards have a broad southern exposure and are heated by the River and the rocky soil that stores the summer heat late into the day.
“For pure richness, allied to complexity and elegance, Hermitage remains unequaled.” – Robert Parker
If you got Robert Parker alone, he would probably go farther and say that Hermitage is a euphemism for sex. Hey, shall we have some Hermitage tonight? Who can resist its silkiness, its boldness, its stamina, its stunning splendor? WOW!
But there’s always a catch isn’t there? The elite Hermitage wines are expensive. The yields are low and the harvesting (and all the vineyard work) must be done by hand. No grower in his right mind would take a tractor up there on that hillside. Nothing but a mountain goat belongs up there and they would just eat up all the profits. So, the cost of our sexy little fruit bomb Hermitage gets up there.
There is some good news. Marc Sorrel is part of a small elite group of some of the best growers in the Rhone. Chave, Jaboulet, and Chapoutier are names you’re probably familiar with. Their special cuvees go for hundreds of dollars a bottle. Marc’s Hermitage Le Greal is far more reasonable.
Hermitage is 100% Syrah. Le Greal is a miniscule-quantity (about 200 cases) blockbuster cuvee. The Meal and Greffieux vineyards are located on the highest hill in Hermitage. Robert Parker describes the Meal vineyard (again, the sex – the man has it bad):
“This large steeply terraced vineyard produces one of the most exotic, smoky, sexy styles of Syrah. {The wine} is supple, voluptuously textured and more forward and flattering than wines from other vineyards.”
90% of Sorrel’s Hermitage comes from Meal. Okay, okay, it is a tryst in a glass.
But, there is more. Marc Sorrel also makes a stunning regular cuvee Hermitage wine which is a lot easier on the pocketbook: Cuvee Classique. All of Marc’s wines are superbly crafted and fabulous with hearty, spicy stews and grilled foods. Cynthia Hurley