Wine Advisor
Marc Sorrel, Hermitage Le Greal 2018
View analysis
Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Joe Czerwinski
The 2018 Hermitage Le Greal is a blend from Greffieux and Le Méal, hence the name. That aside, it's simply a stupendous wine, bursting with licorice, violets and cassis on the nose and backed by ample concentration and a rich, velvety mouthfeel. There's a faint steaminess evident (the fermentation is 100% whole clusters), but it just adds complexity to both the palette of aromas and flavors and the palate (in terms of textural interest). The finish is long, long, long. Yes, I wrote it three times in my notes.
Reviewed by: Josh Raynolds
Opaque ruby. Seductively perfumed black and blue fruit liqueur, smoky bacon, candied violet and olive paste aromas show superb delineation; spice and mineral notes build in the glass. Displays palate-coating, mineral-accented cassis, cherry-cola, fruitcake and violet pastille flavors that deepen and become firmer as the wine gains air. A wonderfully long, smoky features developing tannins and resonating floral, mineral and exotic spice qualities. Ninety percent of the fruit here comes from Le Méal, the rest from Les Gréffieux.
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.
