Yann Chave Hermitage

Intense butcher's shop aromas, with smoked meat and a touch of VA. Powerful but not overly full in the mouth, the tannins are still chiselled and serrated. Piercing acidity runs through it to a very long, powerful finish. It's ready now, but will age with real interest. 

From 1996 Yann Chave has made the wine at the domaine in Mercurol just outside Tain l’Hermitage. The family own 13ha (11 red and 2 white) in Crozes-Hermitage and 1.2ha of Hermitage. Yann (“Without doubt one of the most promising and thoughtful growers at Crozes” John Livingstone-Learmouth) uses ‘vendange vert’, de-stalking of the reds. The yield is kept low: 40-45hl/ha for the Crozes (49 are allowed) and 30 for Hermitage. The Crozes vines have an average age of almost 50 years and the vineyards covered in galets roulés. Grapes for the Tradition are de-stemmed, before a 3 week fermentation period with twice-daily pumping over and it is aged in tank with a light filtration before bottling. Le Rouvre, from their oldest parcel of vines over 50 years old on galets roules is aged in fine grained demi-muids, new and 1 and 2 years of age, and the Hermitage, from well-exposed s-w facing 30 year old vines, in 100% new oak - but again, demi-muids.