Wine Advisor
Marc Sorrel, Hermitage Le Greal 2009
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The Greal is far more composed than the regular cuvee with ripe blackberry, fig, peppermint can cassis, but with more mineralite and definition. The palate is medium-bodied with a honeyed entry, very rounded and smooth in the mouth, animally towards the persistency, harmonious finish that needs just a little more tension. I might have picked this a day earlier just to add that edginess. Fine. Tasted February 2011.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
A stunning, potentially profound effort, the 2009 Hermitage Le Greal (14.6% natural alcohol) is a 30 to 35-year wine. Terrific aromas of charcoal, roasted meats, blackberries, boysenberries, licorice and graphite jump from the glass of this full-bodied, unctuously textured, thick, concentrated wine. Give it 5-7 years of cellaring and enjoy it over the following three decades. Importer: J.O.A. Imports, McLean, VA; www.jaowineimports.com
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
To reiterate, Domaine Sorrel’s flagship offering, the Hermitage Le Greal is a blend of fruit from the famed lieux-dits of Meal (90%) and Les Greffieux (10%). A classic effort, the 2009 Hermitage Le Greal (14.6% natural alcohol) possesses crisp acidity, laser-like focus and a sumptuous perfume of blackberries, boysenberries, tar, charcoal, ink and earth. Dense, powerful and rich with silky tannins, this 2009 will benefit from 3-5 years of cellaring and keep for 20-25+. (Not yet released) Sorrel’s holdings in Larnage in Crozes-Hermitage consist of equal parts Roussanne and Marsanne. In most vintages, Sorrel produces two cuvees of white Hermitage. The top white is Les Rocoules, which emerges from that well-know hillside site on the granite Hill of Hermitage. Importer: J. O. A. Imports, McLean, VA; www.jaowineimports.com
About the Producer
Marc Sorrel is a leading estate in the Hermitage appellation of the northern Rhône, producing traditionally styled, long-lived red wines from Syrah as well as white wines from Marsanne and Roussanne. The estate was founded in 1928 by Félix Sorrel and from 1984 to 2018, was run by his grandson Marc. Today, Marc's son Guillaume is at the helm of the domaine. The estate is best known for its Hermitage wines, sourced from several plots on the famous hillside. Typically, the vines are planted on granite-based soils, and enjoy the region's sunny, south-oriented mesoclimate. Some of the vines are more than 60 years old, and produce tiny yields of intensely concentrated berries. There are four Hermitage wines in Marc Sorrel's current portfolio – two red and two white and are varietal expressions of Syrah and Marsanne respectively. The top red wine, Le Gréal, is produced in tiny amounts from the best old vine parcels of Syrah within the estate with a small portion of Marsanne. The white wine, Les Rocoules, is predominantly Marsanne with a little Roussanne. Marc Sorrel also makes a red and a white Crozes-Hermitage wine. In the winery, the grapes are often whole-bunch fermented. The white varieties are fermented in large used oak barrels to impart a soft oak influence. All wines are aged in old oak barrels in the cellar for a period prior to bottling.
