Winemaker Notes
The nose discloses aromas of spice and leather intertwined with deep berry aromas (blackberry, redcurrant) and heady floral notes, licorice and incense. Its richness, complexity and elegance are by no means a contradiction. The finest granite soils of the Hermitage hillside are to thank for this wine's incredible minerality and finesse. The wine is rich and dense on entry to the palate, where it shows an elegant, broad and flavorsome character. The ripe, smooth and well-integrated tannins contribute to the wine's powerful yet harmonious structure. The palate reveals the same aromas as those found on the nose with nuances of blueberry, raspberry, violet and bitter chocolate. Ligne de Crête is characterized by its exceptional structure, harmony and balance.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
First made in 2015, the 2022 Hermitage Ligne De Crete Les Grandes Vignes is all Syrah that was 20% destemmed and brought up all in barrels, with 30% being new. It brings another level of everything and has a killer perfume of smoky black and blue fruits, crushed stone, new leather, and graphite. This deep, rich, full-bodied effort has a layered, multi-dimensional mouthfeel, gorgeous tannins, and perfect balance. While it already offers pleasure, it deserves 5-7 years of bottle age and will have 2-3 decades of overall longevity. It's an absolute dream of an Hermitage! Drink 2033-2063.
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James Suckling
Compelling nose of raw meat, the blackest wild berries, smoke and licorice, but this description barely scratches the surface of what's really in here. Gigantic concentration and mineral tension that is not for the faint of heart in this very youthful form. Stacks of plush tannins, but no hint of anything aggressive (which is often part of young Hermitage). In fact, the finish is saline in a way that reminds me of oysters, which makes it unique in the Hermitage context. Vinified with 80% whole clusters. Matured 100% in Burgundian oak barrels, of which a quarter were new. Best from 2027.
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Vinous
The 2022 Hermitage Ligne de Crête Lieu-dit Les Grandes Vignes delivers a complex bouquet of black pepper, black cherry, licorice and subtle vanilla aromas. Stacked with remarkable intensity, the 2022 also sports stemmy characteristics and floral elegance through rose petal and crushed violet notes. The elegant finish, lasting over 60 seconds, highlights the wine's depth and refinement. This is an energetic powerhouse in need of at least four more years to fully bloom.
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Wine Enthusiast
Elegantly decadent, this wine reveals a powerful aromatic core of black cherry, cassis, and black olive, intertwined with violets, wild herbs and a meld of dark chocolate and cocoa nibs. Full-bodied yet elegant, it delivers a round and lush palate of black plums, black cherries, dried herbs, and flint. A beautiful espresso note lingers over soft minerality, finishing with satisfying depth. Ideal for New World drinkers making their way into the Rhône–craving bold, fruit-driven expressions. Cellar through 2035+ before revisiting.
Cellar Selection -
Wine Spectator
A blockbuster. Expressive and ripe, with juicy blackberry and melted licorice pouring over the richly styled, broad palate. Shows concentration and plushness amped up by salty mineral and singed alder notes. Power builds toward the smoldering finish, which is firmed up with taut tannins. Keep this one in the cellar for a bit. Best from 2026 through 2038.
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Decanter
Surprisingly pale in colour. An attractive nose, quite fragrant, with thyme and marjoram notes, plus just-ripe blackberry and plum. Light-bodied for a Hermitage, this is silky and precise, with good acidity and refined tannins. Very much a slimmed down style, but all in good balance. From the highest lieu-dit on the hill of Hermitage, Les Grandes Vignes.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
One of the smallest and most important Syrah regions of northern Rhone, Hermitage is practically one single south-facing slope of crushed granite, thinly covered with varied, yet well-charted soil types. Many climats (well identified parcels) exist within Hermitage and while some smaller producers make single climat Syrahs, some larger ones blend to make one balanced expression of the appellation.
Though the AC regulations allow the addition of up to 15% white grapes to a red Hermitage, in practice it is usually made from Syrah alone. Winemaking is pretty traditional—or you might say historic—with hot fermentations and aging in older barrels of various sizes. The best wines, characterized by deep, dense and sexy flavors of black fruit, cocoa, licorice and tobacco, have massive textures and a solid 10-20 years aging potential.
The region of Hermitage is totally enclosed; the only place it could go really is to literally fall down its own hill into the city of Tain or the Rhone River. Soil erosion is a problem and terraces exist alongside the hill in order to keep the earth in place. Crozes-Hermitage encloses the region entirely to its north and south.
While Hermitage seems synonymous with some of the best Syrah on the planet, actually about one third of the wine produced here comes from white grapes. The full, lush and robust Marsanne or the less common, but almost more charming, Roussanne create wonderful whites in which the best have great potential for aging, like the reds.