Jean-Louis Chave : Hermitage Domaine 2021

Characteristics and tasting notes for the Hermitage Domaine 2021 Jean-Louis Chave

Tasting

Nose
The aromatic bouquet reveals itself with brilliance, exuding scents of honeyed white peach and quince. It then blossoms into vivid spring floral notes, delicately intertwined with hints of honeysuckle and lemon zest.

Palate
On the palate, this wine unfolds an enveloping richness and remarkable volume, evoking the structure of the most illustrious white wines. This generosity is perfectly balanced by a beautiful acidity, offering a palate that is at once lively, crisp and marked by great freshness.

Service and aging

This Hermitage Domaine 2021 can be fully enjoyed from its youth thanks to its beautiful vivacity and crisp profile.

The elegance and freshness of a white wine from the Rhône Valley

The estate

The estate's history begins in 1481, when an ancestor of the family received land as a reward for his services. Established in Mauves since the 1800s, this historic estate in the Rhône Valley is today led by Jean-Louis Chave, who represents the sixteenth generation. A fervent advocate of respectful, low-intervention viticulture, he cultivates around fifteen hectares of vines alongside his father Gérard. The estate is renowned worldwide for its traditional approach and masterful interpretation of its terroirs, producing wines of remarkable purity.

The vineyard

The white grapes come from the western part of the famous hill within the Hermitage appellation. The vineyard spans four distinct lieux-dits: Rocoules, L'Hermite, Péléat and Maison Blanche. The vines are grown on terraces on steep slopes, requiring exclusively manual work, with no mechanization or use of herbicides. The highly diverse soils are composed notably of loess, clay and limestone, lending the berries a unique complexity. The estate practices certified organic viticulture.

The vintage

The year was marked by particularly demanding weather conditions. Following a mild winter and early spring that led to early bud break, a severe frost struck the region in early April, although the hill was largely spared. The summer proved cold and humid, favoring the development of fungal diseases. Despite these challenges, a late harvest, carried out between the end of September and early October, yielded berries of superb ripeness and beautiful concentration, although yields were low.

Winemaking and aging

The estate's philosophy favors minimal intervention in the cellar. For this Hermitage Domaine 2021, fermentation takes place in barrels solely through the action of indigenous yeasts. The wine is then aged for approximately twenty-four months in barrels, with very limited use of new oak in order to preserve the purity of the fruit. No mechanical filtration is carried out.

Grape varieties

This wine is a blend of 80 to 85% Marsanne and 15 to 20% Roussanne.