Chapoutier is one of the most reputable, famous and biggest wineries and a négociant in the Rhone Valley of France, located in the town of Tain l’Hermitage.
Founded in 1808, Michel Chapoutier took control of winemaking in the company in 1988, and pushed quality so upward the Chapoutier label quickly began to gain international recognition.
Michel Chapoutier was one of the first winemakers of Hermitage wines to focus on producing small batches of wines made from specific sites. The winery also emphasizes on a bio-dynamic farming approach.
A large part of M. Chapoutier’s production is made of certified organic wines.
Consequently, some of the best wines produced by Chapoutier are their single vineyards made from Syrah and Marsanne from the granitic hill of Hermitage. They also make top quality Châteauneuf-du-Papes and Cote-Rôtie wines from 5 hectares of vines.
Wines by Chapoutier, including the Maison, count with all the major appellations in both Northern and Southern Rhône, such as Côtes-du-Rhône in all wine colors, Condrieu, Cornas, Saint-Joseph, Tavel, Rasteau, and many more.
Since 1996, all M. Chapoutier labels feature distinctive inscriptions of braille in honor of Maurice Monier de la Sizeranne, the original owner of the Chapoutier vineyard in Hermitage, who created his own form of abbreviated braille.
In the Hermitage appellation, M. Chapoutier own about 32 hectares of vines (79 acres) in some of the very best terroirs around the hill.
The most reputable collectible Chapoutier Hermitage wines come from specific old vines plots of Hermitage such as Le Pavillon, Le Meal, or L’Ermite. But other blended Hermitage wines make for more affordable alternatives combining qualities from varied soil types present on the appellation.
In total from Hermitage, Chapoutier produces 5 white wines, all from 100% Marsanne:
- De l’Orée
- L’Ermite
- Le Méal
- Chante Alouette
- Vin de Paille, a sweet draw wine.
And 5 red wines:
- L’Ermite
- Le Méal
- Les Greffieux
- Le Pavillon
- Monier de la Sizeranne
On M. Chapoutier’s Hermitage AOP labels, single vineyard wines come with the mention Ermitage, while blends see the name spelt Hermitage.
Watch the Wine Reviews of Chapoutier’s Hermitage Wines in Video:
Or read my full tasting notes, ratings and reviews further down below.
Detailed Wine Reviews & Ratings of Chapoutier Hermitage Wines
2011 M. Chapoutier Ermitage De l’Orée White
Score : 93+/100 points
100% Marsanne. The old vines (60 to 70 years old) guarantee low yields and a quality production.
The grapes producing “De l’Orée” come from “Les Murets” plot. This soil is made up with very old fluvioglacial alluvial deposits.
After pressing, the must is cold-settling for around 24 hours. About 50% is vinified in big wooden oak barrels (600 liters) with regular stirrings of the lees, the rest is in vats.
Maturing on lees with regular stirrings for 6 months. Before bottling, the ageing in 600-L casks is checked by frequent tastings. The maturing lasts between 10 and 12 months in total.
Overall Review Notes & tasting Impressions
Profile: Apricot, honey, beeswax, walnut and brioche, it’s lifted and spicy as well, white pepper and garrigue, scents of herbal and minty rosemary. An evolved, slightly oxidative profile, you can sense this is a generous white win that has spent time ageing on lees in barrels. Complex and layered.
Extremely soft and silky palate, yet with a crisp dry and mineral acidity. The outstanding feature is the complexity and length.
2014 M. Chapoutier Monier de la Sizeranne Red
Score : 92+/100 points
Monier de la Sizeranne Hermitage is a blend of 100% Syrah from various terroirs on the appellation:
- Les Bessards”: from a granitic origin, it constitutes the “soul” of a good Hermitage.
- “le Méal”: old alluvial terraces, with a lot of gravels and shingles more or less calcareous.
- “les Greffieux”: silty soil with shingles.
Entirely destemmed, the grapes ferment in concrete tanks before ageing in French oak casks between 12 and 14 months.
Overall Review Notes & tasting Impressions
Profile: vibrant and juicy red wine, mainly fruity filled with juicy red cherry and fresh blackberry, as well as spicy, the typical Northern Rhone Syrah black pepper note. Hints of vanilla and clove, licorice from the oak, it smells both fruity as well as savory, and meaty.
The palate follows suit, juicy and vibrant from such a burst of red berry fruit characters, especially early on. But then kick in a burst of oaky and spicy notes, savory yeasty flavors, the clove and licorice. What strikes is how juicy and salty the wine feels. It makes you salivate thanks to savory tannins and a touch of bitterness. A wine of character, the mineral feel of the granitic terroir coming through superbly.
A fruity wine, yet elegant with an impressive depth.
2011 M. Chapoutier Ermitage Pavillon Red
Score : 95/100 points
100% single vineyard Syrah. The age of the vines (90-100 years) guarantees a very high quality low-yielding production. Hardly any more than 7000 bottles of it are produced annually.
Le Pavillon is made from a 4-hectare vineyard (10 acres) on a steep granite terroir near the hillsides of Les Bessards. The soil is made up with a fine layer of sediments on a rocky granitic subsoil.
Grapes are hand-harvested to the limit of over-maturity (very ripe). Due to the advanced vines’ age, they provide small quantities of highly concentrated grapes.
Totally destemmed, the grapes ferment in concrete tanks. Only the free-run wine is used for this single vineyard, the pressings are used in other blends.
The wine is matured in French oak casks (with a 30% average proportion of new ones) between 18 and 20 months. The clarification is natural.
Overall Review Notes & tasting Impressions
Profile: A meaty wine to smell at, that boasts extremely deep notes of caramel and coffee, rare notes o spicy toffee blended with nutmeg and other sweet spices. Cherry liqueur and coffee liqueur are the descriptors that come to mind to describe the dominant aromas.
Dark cocoa and blackberry, it’s intriguing and delivered with what appears to be great control in its aromatic expression.
The palate is round, the tannins are dense and soft, and silky. It’s got the savoriness and the sense of bitterness of coffee. But a Grand Cru, a very subtle smooth coffee.
There is a whole lot of black pepper, caramel, toffee, and clove, and nutmeg. Loads and lots of sweet spices, touches of sweetness from the vanilla and liqueur flavors.
The generosity of Rhone Syrah together with a definite single vineyard expression, the minerality of the granite, the authenticity of expression generally that you only find in Pinot Noir wines.
Something of the Pinot Noir elegance and finesse of expression.
A rare tasting experience, the pure expression of the terroir married to the density only very old vines can deliver. A wine to experience, at least once in your lifetime…
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