After the hail damage of 2019, we had to nurse our vineyards back to health with a range of gentle but complementary nutrients. This made 2020 a technically exacting year, especially since the weather reserved many surprises for us. Spring was extraordinarily hot and dry and, despite a short break in June when some welcome rain fell, summer saw a continuation of drought conditions right up until the harvest. With a high risk of mildew at the start of the season, constant and unpredictable winds, powdery mildew half way through the season and the threat of high temperatures and scorching, we were spared nothing, and it required a major effort to cope. Fortunately, the occasional shower, fairly cool nights and morning dew meant the vines did not suffer too much from the summer heat, and all our hard work seems to have paid off with the promise of a fine vintage. To avoid the hottest moments of the day, we began picking from 6 am so as to pick the grapes while they were cool. We began with the whites on August 19 and continued with the reds through until September 16. First tastings revealed aromatic wines of great freshness, with degrees rarely exceeding 13.5°. After so many twists and turns, it is a vintage that reverts to origin in a very “Northern Rhône” style, after the mediterranean vintage of 2018 and 2019.

The terroir is complex and varied, comprising granite, pebbles and limestone.  In the locality of Grandes Vignes, the soil is dominated by granite. The wines produced here have a certain minerality but also a fine tannin structure. This sector accounts for 30% of our blend. The wines we produce from pebbly terroirs are aromatically rich and complex. They represent the backbone of our wine and make up 60% of our blend. 

- Pre-fermentation cold maceration.
- Then maceration and fermentation, with pumping over followed by punching down towards the end for 28 days.
- Aged in new barrels (30%) and one year-old barrels for 15 months.

This Hermitage Rouge is an exceptional wine offering complexity and power, while remaining elegant. The nose is superb with powerful aromas of black fruit, enhanced by aging in oak barrels. Intense and smooth on the palate while being fine and elegant, it reveals great aromatic complexity.