Wine Advisor
Marc Sorrel, Hermitage Le Greal 2016
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Joe Czerwinski
The 2016 Hermitage Le Greal comes from Le Méal (85%) and Les Greffieux (15%). The vines are a substantial 60 years old, and with the April hail, only yielded 20 hectoliters per hectare. The wine is inky dark and concentrated, with firm tannins and attractive hints of licorice.
Reviewed by: Josh Raynolds
Opaque ruby. Spice- and mineral-accented aromas of candied black and blue fruits, violet candy and olive, along with a gamy topnote. Chewy and energetic on the palate, offering pliant, appealingly sweet blackberry and boysenberry flavors that deepen and pick up a peppery note with air. Closes with impressive power, building tannins and solid dark fruit thrust, leaving a suave floral note behind.
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.
