Dear <<First Name>>,
We are tremendously excited to share this exclusive release with our U.S. Patrons List.
After recently auditing inventory in our cellar here in Tain l’Hermitage, we have curated a collection of five magnums from the iconic 2015 and bold 2017 vintages whose quality are further amplified by their large format bottles. These were selected specifically for their representation of the terroir of their respective appellations and their ability to continue adding complexity with age. Having rested directly in our cellar since bottling, these wines are already showing great drinkability and will only improve further with additional time in your cellar.
The wines that we have selected for this exclusive large format release include:
- Saint-Joseph ‘Les Oliviers’ Blanc 2015
- Ermitage ‘Le Reverdy’ Blanc 2015
- Ermitage ‘Les Dionnières’ 2015
- Cornas ‘Les Eygats’ Lieu-dit 2017
- Côte-Rôtie ‘L’Églantine’ 2017
With many vintages to choose from, we continue to love our wines out of magnum-sized bottles, as they allow the wine to develop at a pace that maintains freshness, power and elegance for many years after release. There are a limited number of these magnums available, therefore we recommend that you respond as soon as possible with your order, so you may discover and share the incredible quality of each of these special wines.
|
|
|
The 2015 Growing Season
2015 continues to impress and wines that we taste from this vintage have lived up to the critics’ consensus that this was one of the greatest years ever in the Rhône. It was a vintage where the events that needed to happen…happened at the precise time. The summer was quite hot, which created rich, concentrated fruit that was heavily aromatic and bright. As the season came closer to harvest, the nights became much cooler, which contributed great freshness and balance. We were able to pick each site at the optimal time, which expressed a bold fruit profile, bright acidity and balance, as well as the promise of a long life ahead.
|
|
|
Saint-Joseph ‘Les Oliviers’ Blanc 2015
White wine from the appellation of Saint-Joseph is quite rare, which makes a large format wine from one of the top lieu-dit in the village even more special. The vineyard was planted over 20 years ago in soils of decomposed granite on the hillsides just outside Tournon-sur-Rhône.
The grapes are picked only when they achieve optimal ripeness, and in 2015 the final blend was a 50/50 split of Marsanne and Roussanne. Once the best grapes are sorted from the harvest, they are pressed and put into French oak barrels (30% new) for fermentation and then aged on their lees for 10 months before bottling.
- 95 points, Wine Advocate - “The St Joseph releases are also brilliant. The single vineyard 2015 St Joseph Les Oliviers Blanc is even better, with a killer bouquet of buttered citrus, spiced apples, toasted bread and salty minerality. Made from 100% Marsanne from a site just beside the village of Mauves, it shows the concentration and richness of the vintage, yet is fresh, pure and focused. I’d drink bottles over the coming decade or so, but it will keep longer.” - Jeb Dunnuck
- $N/A per 1500ml magnum
|
|
|
|
Ermitage ‘Le Reverdy’ Blanc 2015
Labeled as Ermitage, the original name of this iconic village, Le Reverdy combines two distinctive plots: les Beaumes (limestone and alluvial soils) and le Méal (terraces of rounded pebbles). This creates stunning texture and vibrancy in the resulting wine that is a blend of 50% Roussanne and 50% Marsanne.
The grapes are grown and picked by hand, and once the fruit is sorted and processed, they are pressed directly into 228L and 600L French oak barrels (30% new). Le Reverdy Blanc sees malolactic fermentation in barrel, and is then aged on its lees for 10-12 months in wood.
Le Reverdy is a shining example of the concentration and texture that can be achieved from Ermitage. Where white wines from this area are beautiful and rich upon release, the tropical and complex notes of this wine only integrate further into the full-bodied profile as the wine ages. This aging, especially in larger formats, can see tremendous additional development for over 15 years.
- 96 points, Wine Advocate - “More backward, concentrated and closed, yet just loaded with potential, the 2015 Ermitage Le Reverdy is—I suspect— the finest white I’ve tasted from this estate. Coming from the Beaume and le Méal lieux-dits and an even split of Marsanne and Roussanne, brought up in a mix of stainless steel and demi-muids, it has full-bodied richness, a liqueur of rocks-like aromatic profile, integrated acidity and sensational purity. It will have two decades or more of life.” - Jeb Dunnuck
- $N/A per 1500ml magnum
|
|
|
|
Ermitage ‘Les Dionnières’ 2015
This historic site on the hill of Hermitage is one of the most underappreciated in the northern Rhône. This lieu-dit is only farmed and harvested by a small number of families, making the resulting wines even more rare and special to discover. Its soils are composed of clay and limestone with small, rounded pebbles that aid in further sun exposure to ripen this 100% Syrah.
The 30+ year old vines are only able to be tended and harvested by hand, as the terraces are too steep for any mechanization. Once harvested, the fruit is rigorously sorted and the highest quality grapes are macerated in concrete vats for 28 days before pressing and aging in barrel (20% new) for 18 months.
Les Dionnières has been one of our most consistently ageworthy wines, which is only amplified in larger format, giving potential for 20+ years of cellaring.
- 96 points, Jeb Dunnuck - “Smoked earth, blueberries, blackberries, graphite and huge minerality all emerge from the 2015 Ermitage Les Dionnières, which comes from older vines planted on the eastern/lower section of Hermitage, in more sedimentary soils. It saw a touch stems and 20% new oak. Full-bodied, concentrated, stacked and packed, with sweet, building tannin, forget bottles for 4-6 years and enjoy over the following two+ decades.”
- $N/A per 1500ml magnum
|
|
|
The 2017 Growing Season
2017 was a great year, particularly for Syrah, as the very hot, dry growing conditions created bold, flavorful fruit sets. Everything from flowering to harvest took place several weeks earlier than normal in 2017. Just before the end of the growing season, the area received some refreshing rains that imparted life into the vines and thus raised the level of acidity in the fruit. Although harvest was one of the earliest on record, the quality of Syrah brought in was quite excellent, with optimal ripeness, thick skins and small berries of great concentration. This is a vintage for wines that are rich, opulent and powerful in their fruit profile.
|
|
|
Cornas ‘Les Eygats’ Lieu-dit 2017
High above the village of Cornas sits the single vineyard, terraced, one-hectare Les Eygats. The high elevation of this site creates a unique profile that adds cooler, blue and black fruit to this 100% Syrah. The slope terraces are composed of granite and the vines face heavy winds through the growing season, limiting the yield and making this one of the latest ripening sites of our domaine.
All the work must be done by hand, so each cluster is harvested and sorted in the vineyard before destemming the grapes and macerating them in concrete vats for 4 weeks. The wine is then pressed into barrels for 12-14 months (10% new) before bottling and resting. Les Eygats has always been one of the bolder wines of our domaine, which allows it to have long aging potential, even more so in magnum format.
- 95+ points, Jeb Dunnuck - “From a cooler, higher elevation vineyard, the 2017 Cornas Lieu-Dit Les Eygats offers tons of black fruits, scorched earth, new leather, and darker, earthier, cooler-climate aromas and flavors. Medium to full-bodied and concentrated, it tastes like the essence of this great site and has building tannins, terrific purity, and a big finish. Give bottle 3-4 years and enjoy over the following 10-15.”
- $N/A per 1500ml magnum
|
|
|
|
Côte-Rôtie ‘L’Églantine’ 2017
L’Égalantine references the wild roses that grow amidst the vines in the northern Rhône. This 100% Syrah combines fruit from the two main slopes of the hills of Côte-Rôtie – the Côte Brune and the Côte Blonde. The Côte Brune hill is known for its deep schist soils with fruit that tends to be more masculine and powerful. Just south lies the Côte Blonde, with lighter-colored soils due to the type of sand, limestone, and calcareous rocks. Grapes from this site produce more floral aromas and add elegance to the final wine.
This wine is truly created in the vineyard, as our team works meticulously to curate the best possible fruit from this site. Grapes are destemmed and vinification takes place in large concrete vats to maintain the freshness and aromatics. After a 20 day maceration period, the wine is aged in French oak casks for 16-18 months. The combination of fruit from both Côte Brune and Blonde creates exceptional layers of flavor, concentration, and texture – making this a great wine for cellar aging.
- 94+ points, Jeb Dunnuck - “Made from 100% Syrah, the 2017 Côte Rôtie L'Eglantine comes from a mix of parcels spread between the Côte Blonde and Côte Brune and spent 16 to 18 months in oak casks. This ruby-hued 2017 is medium to full-bodied and elegant, with a classy perfume of spiced raspberries, spring flowers, cured meats, and dried spice. With considerable elegance, building yet ripe tannins, and a balanced, layered style, give bottles 3-4 years and drink it any time over the coming 10-15 years or more.”
- $N/A per 1500ml magnum
|
|
|
-
Deadline for orders is 8 March
- Orders should be packed and available ~12 weeks later or can be held be held under temperature control if needed
- Standard shipping included for orders of 2 magnums or more
|
|
We thank you again for your support and look forward to this more direct relationship to open to you the gates of the Rhône wine paradise!
The team at Ferraton Pére & Fils
|
|
|
|
