Tasting Notes
Ivory capsule. 100% whole bunch (Faurie does not own a destemmer!) The Gréffieux vineyard sits immediately below le Méal. Here the vines were planted by Faurie’s great-grandfather in the ’20s and ’30s. A minuscule amount of this wine (50-100 dozen) is made each year, depending on the size of the harvest. We do very well to get the allocation that we recieve. As the name suggests, this comes from vines with their roots in both the le Gréffieux and les Bessards terroirs on the Hill of Hermitage. Les Bessards borders both le Gréffieux and le Méal, sitting to the west of both these terroirs. The Gréffieux component comes from the rockier (granite) seam of this vineyard and brings juicy, perfumed fruit which partners so well with the more structured, mineral-etched fruit of Bessards. Bessards is a steeply terraced hillside vineyard with a southwestern exposure; the soil is sandy gravel over granite bedrock. This terroir delivers both structural muscle and aromatic purity. 100% whole bunch ferment in an old wooden vat; 18-21 day vinification, aged in used oak, this year one 600 litre demi-muid and one 228 litre used barrique. The wine is not fined and is bottled by hand. - Importer Note
'Faurie is currently making the best wines of his career, which is now well into its fourth decade.' - Josh Reynolds, Vinous
Bernard Faurie has certainly cemented his status as one of the legends of the Northern Rhone. He is the fifth generation in a long line of Hermitage producers, who have owned vines on 'The Hill' since 1935. These vines are now well over 100 years of age, and produce wines of incredible transparency, even in riper years.
Bernard’s parcels are spread among three principal vineyards of Hermitage: Bessards, Méal, and Gréffieux. From these, he produces several single site cuvées, as well as blends across all three. He works his vines as naturally as possible, using a horse to plough, and makes wine in the classic manner - no de-stemming, whole bunches crushed by foot, natural fermentation, no fining and only a light filtration if necessary. The wines are aged for up to 24 months in predominantly 600 litre demi muids, with only 10-30% new oak, depending on the vintage.
It is nice to be reminded of how great this storied terroir can be in the hands of a master vigneron.
| Product Type | Wine Red Shiraz |
| Volume | 750ml |
| Country | France |
| Region | Northern Rhone |
| Sub Region | Hermitage |
| Winemaking Practices | Minimal Intervention |
| Vineyard Practices | Minimal Intervention |