M.Chapoutier Monier De La Sizeranne Hermitage

Chapoutier, or Maison M. Chapoutier, is a winery and negociant business situated in Tain-l'Hermitage in the Rhone region in France. This is one of the oldest companies in the Rhone Valley, driven by Michel Chapoutier, the biodynamic pioneer of the region.

Michel Chapoutier started his love-affair with wine at 26. A self-taught enthusiast and a curious visionary he brings to the winery a new approach and a powerful ambition. An idea of wine that soon became all-embracing. "Wine-grower, wine-maker and wine lover". The choices he made marked a break with past principles and prejudices. A question of audacity and convictions he shares with his young team. An essential, emblematic choice too: he decided to change the taste associated with Maison M. Chapoutier, to avoid cultivating "a signature taste", focusing instead on bringing out the difference and specific features of each terroir.

Syrah,

Hermitage "Monier de la Sizeranne" comes from a blending of different soils from West to East: "les Bessards": from a granitic origin, it constitutes the "soul" of a good Hermitage. "le Mel": old alluvial terraces, with a lot of gravels and shingles more or less calcareous. "les Greffieux": silty soil with shingles.

Grapes were hand harvesting at optimal maturity.

Entirely destemmed, the grapes ferment in concrete tanks. From one to two daily treadings ensure a good extraction. Temperature varies between 30 and 33°C.

18 months ageing, 85% of which takes place in oak barrels, giving the wine its notes of oak. The remaining 15% is aged in concrete tanks to preserve minerality and freshness.

The nose is full with red fruit (raspberry, blackcurrant), with a hint of liquorice. On the palate there is a good attack, revealing a round and elegant wine with concentrated and gentle tannins. The finish is blackcurrant, raspberry and spicy (pepper) aromas when it is young.

Perfect with venison fillet in red wine sauce. Classic roast beef. Mature "Saint Felicien" cheese.

Nolan - Text from the Spotlight On French Red Wines & Their Global Influences blog

The fabled hill of Hermitage produces some of the most prestigious, long lived and full bodied Syrah in the Northern Rhone. This granite hill top is crowned by the iconic Chapelle Saint-Christophe. According to local legend, in the 13th century, a knight named Gaspard de Stérimberg returned from crusade and retired as a hermit. He built a small chapel on the summit and planted the first vines on the slopes, which laid the foundation for the famous Hermitage wine region. It is likely untrue that this is when the first vines were planted as the Roman’s were definitely actively planting vines in the slopes of the Rhone Valley centuries earlier.

The vines on Hermitage are planted on the South facing slopes of the hill to benefit to the highest degree from sun’s rays. Hermitage sits on a meander in the mighty Rhone River that has the flow sweep from West to East, instead of North to South. With the water flowing to the South of the hill, the vines benefit from the reflection of the sun off the waters surface, back on to the grapes themselves to aide ripening. The sun combined with the thin, poor, rocky soils and their low mineral and water content, leads to some of the most concentrated Syrah grown in the Northern Rhone, known for their robustness and rich aromas of leather, coffee and red berries.

Maison M. Chapoutier, is a winery and negociant business situated in the town of Tain-l'Hermitage, at the base of the famous hill. This is one of the oldest companies in the Rhone Valley, driven by Michel Chapoutier, the biodynamic pioneer of the region. Michel Chapoutier is a little mad but gets great results. If you want to get a judge of his character, I recommend getting on YouTube and watching Oz Clarke and James May’s wine journey.

Hermitage "Monier de la Sizeranne" comes from a blending of different soils from West to East: "les Bessards": from a granitic origin, it constitutes the "soul" of a good Hermitage. "le Mel": old alluvial terraces, with a lot of gravels and shingles more or less calcareous, "les Greffieux": silty soil with shingles. Grapes were hand harvested at optimal maturity. Entirely destemmed, the grapes ferment in concrete tanks. One to two daily treading’s ensure a good extraction. The wine receives 18 months ageing, 85% of which takes place in oak barrels, giving the wine its notes of oak. The remaining 15% is aged in concrete tanks to preserve minerality and freshness.

The nose is full, with raspberry & blackcurrant with a hint of liquorice. On the palate this is a round and elegant wine with concentrated and gentle tannins. The finish is blackcurrant, raspberry and spicy pepper aromas when it is young as this is. With time cellaring, this spiciness will start to develop into leather and game notes with clove and paprika.

This style of wine is the perfect pairing with game such as venison and hearty stews. My favourite thing to pair with Northern Rhone Syrah is the culinary delight that is haggis neeps and tatties!