2016 Chapoutier Ermitage les Greffieux

Syrah - 750ML
Reg: $159.94
$139.94
This product is
out of stock
Most orders placed M-F by 3pm (PT) ship same day.
Orders placed on a weekend or holiday will ship the next business day.
Shipping Info

Free storage available
Wine Storage

REVIEWS

JD 98 WA 97 WS 96 DC 95 JS 95 WE 94
JD 98

jebdunnuck.com, December 2018

From the deeper soils at the bottom of the Le Méal lieu-dit, the 2016 Ermitage Les Gréffieux was all destemmed and saw its normal 18 months in a mix of Burgundy barrels and demi-muids, with just 25% being new. This is a...
WA 97

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, November 2018

Chapoutier's 2016 Ermitage les Greffieux is a perfumed, elegant expression of this historic terroir. Violet and crushed stone notes perfectly complement the cedar and baking spices of new oak in framing ripe blackberries...
WS 96

Wine Spectator, July 2019

Mulled black cherry and blackberry fruit melds with mesquite, bay leaf and pepper notes, ending with black tea and incense details that stitch up the finish. Very perfumed and beguiling throughout despite the latent dark...
DC 95

Decanter, October 2017

Aged in 30% new oak, both barriques and demi-muids. It's deeply fruited, with blackberry and blackcurrant alongside some more exotic fruits. Very full, flowing and richly-fruited with deep tannic drive, and some...
JS 95

jamessuckling.com, August 2018

(94-95 points) Wild, exotic fruit, pepper and spice here. This is really wild. Blood-orange, herb and dark, spicy notes run riot amid dark, ripe, blood plums and punchy, fresh oak. The palate delivers a big serving of...
WE 94

Wine Enthusiast, July 2020

Layers of smoke and earth keep this wine tightly closed upon opening but aeration coaxes out ripe, almost sun-baked notes of black plum and cherry preserve. It's a shy wine in youth with tannins that are taut and a bit...

WINE DETAILS

Color & Type Red
Varietal Syrah
Country France
Region Rhone
Sub-region Northern Rhone
Appellation Hermitage
Vintage 2016
Size 750ML
Percent alcohol 14%
Closure Cork

Chapoutier is one of the oldest wine producers in the Rhone Valley with a history dating back to 1808. A distant ancestor, Polydor Chapoutier, was the first to buy vines here, shifting from being a simple grape grower to making and trading his own wine. For the last two hundred years, the estate has been producing some of the greatest wines in the Rhone Valley. Today, the range also includes wines from some Roussillon appellations as well as projects in Portugal and Australia.

Under Michel Chapoutier’s leadership, quality improved and Chapoutier gained international recognition. The massive negociant and winery produces single-vineyard expressions and classic wines from a range of appellations in the north and south of the valley.

They have adopted biodynamic farming techniques and have included Braille markings on their labels since 1996. This was done from a desire to reach out to and include lovers of good wines with sight-impairments, and as a tribute to Maurice Monier of La Sizeranne, a member of the family that previously owned the vines of the same name and who invented the first abbreviated version of Braille.

Ermitage wines possess a rich historical past. They were appreciated as early on as Roman times when they were enjoyed (as well as Cote Rotie wines) under the name of "Vienne wines" and were later to be called "Saint Christopher's hillside wines" because of a chapel there bearing the saint's name. They were also to be known of as “Tournon wines".

The name of Ermitage probably first appeared in the 17th Century in memory of Henry Gaspard, a knight from Sterimberg who, having come back from the Crusades (in the 13th Century) and tired of waging war, lived as a hermit on a hillside which had been given to him by Anne of Castille, Queen of Spain. There he planted a vineyard.

Chapoutier’s 100% Syrah comes from the Greffieux, situated at the foot of the Hermitage hill. The soil is made up of glacial alluvial deposit composed of shingles and clay. Les Greffieux has a steady garnet red color. On the nose are aromas of small black fruits, ink and black pepper. The wine has powerful tannins and hints of liquorice. Depending on the vintage, it can be kept from 30 to 60 years or from 50 to 75 years.