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Fill out your info and we will notify you when the 2018 Hermitage Blanc “La Pierrelle” Barruol / Lynch is back in stock or when a new vintage becomes available.


2018 Hermitage Blanc “La Pierrelle”

Barruol / Lynch

Marsanne vines and apricot trees share a sliver of the storied hill of Hermitage, as both need to keep their feet wet, with roots in a soil that retains humidity—a rarity on the parched, windswept rise. However, a few exceptional parcels lie near the summit, where geology has gifted to Marsanne (and us) a soil with crushed limestone on top, and plenty of water retained year-round well below the surface. From the small plot called La Pierrelle, whose vines are more than eighty years old, comes this Marsanne with magnificent floral, pit fruit, and bitter notes. Some say those fruit notes are the result of bees pollinating the surrounding apricot trees as well as the vines; others claim they are from the plants’ interlacing roots. In any event, the flavors of fruit and flower over time veer toward a light touch of honey, and those bitters get more complex, refined, and irresistible. The classic local pairings for Hermitage blanc, especially as it ages, are white meat and fish dishes heavy in cream, butter, and morel mushrooms: timeless matches for a decidedly old-school wine.

Chris Santini

$94.00
Wine Type: white
Vintage: 2018
Bottle Size: 750mL
Blend: Marsanne
Appellation: Hermitage
Country: France
Region: Northern Rhône
Producer: Barruol / Lynch
Winemaker: Louis Barruol
Vineyard: 80 years
Soil: Granite
Aging: Pressed and fermented in Burgundian barrels
Farming: Lutte Raisonnée
Alcohol: 14%

More from this Producer or Region

About Northern Rhône

map of Northern Rhône

On the wines of the northern Rhône, Kermit wrote in Adventures on the Wine Route, “The best combine a reminder of the sunny Mediterranean with the more self-conscious, intellectual appeal of the great Burgundies farther north, which is not a bad combination.” Like the wines of Provence, Burgundy, and Beaujolais, Kermit was introduced to this region by Richard Olney, an American ex-pat and friend of Alice Waters.

Though technically part of the same region as the southern Rhône and connected by the Rhône River, much differentiates the north from the south. The climate is continental and in general cooler than that Mediterranean climate of the south. The appellations are significantly smaller: Cornas has less than 300 acres planted to vine and Hermitage around 345. The area planted is minute when compared to Gigondas (3,000+ acres) and Châteauneuf-du-Pape (nearly 8,000 acres). Many of the great wines come from steep hillside vines—terraced during Roman times. It was clear to the Romans that great wine could be made here and DNA evidence now shows that Syrah is in fact indigenous to the Rhône.

The terroir is predominantly granite and lastly, blends of the wines are mostly single grape varieties. Only four grape varieties are permitted in AOC blends: Syrah, Viogner, Marsanne, and Roussanne (as compared to the 19 permitted varieties allowed in Châteauneuf). The red wines are nearly all Syrah and Condrieu and Château Grillet must be 100% Viogner. The whites of Hermitage, Saint Joseph, Saint Péray, and Crozes-Hermitages may only be blends of Marsanne and Roussanne.

More from Northern Rhône or France

2020 Condrieu

Lionel Faury  France  |  Northern Rhône  |  Condrieu

$69.00

2019 Condrieu “Chéry”

André Perret  France  |  Northern Rhône  |  Condrieu

$115.00

2019 Côte Rôtie “La Boisselée”

Barruol / Lynch  France  |  Northern Rhône  |  Côte Rôtie

$94.00

2020 Crozes Hermitage “Goutay”

Barruol / Lynch  France  |  Northern Rhône  |  Crozes Hermitage

$42.00

2018 Saint-Joseph Blanc

Jean-Claude Marsanne  France  |  Northern Rhône  |  Saint-Joseph

$59.00

2020 Saint Joseph Rouge “Vieilles Vignes”

Lionel Faury  France  |  Northern Rhône  |  Saint-Joseph

$55.00

2021 Collines Rhodaniennes Syrah

Lionel Faury  France  |  Northern Rhône  |  Collines Rhodaniennes

$28.00

2020 Saint Joseph Rouge

Lionel Faury  France  |  Northern Rhône  |  Saint-Joseph

$41.00

2019 Crozes Hermitage “Tiercerolles”

Barruol / Lynch  France  |  Northern Rhône  |  Crozes Hermitage

$40.00

2020 Saint Joseph Blanc

Lionel Faury  France  |  Northern Rhône  |  Saint Joseph

$40.00

2020 Côte-Rôtie

Lionel Faury  France  |  Northern Rhône  |  Côte Rôtie

$82.00

2018 Saint-Joseph Rouge

Jean-Claude Marsanne  France  |  Northern Rhône  |  Saint-Joseph

$55.00

Living wines have ups and downs just as people do, periods of glory and dog days, too. If wine did not remind me of real life, I would not care about it so much.

Kermit once said...
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Warnings


Drinking distilled spirits, beer, coolers, wine and other alcoholic beverages may increase cancer risk, and, during pregnancy, can cause birth defects. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/alcohol


Many food and beverage cans have linings containing bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical known to cause harm to the female reproductive system. Jar lids and bottle caps may also contain BPA. You can be exposed to BPA when you consume foods or beverages packaged in these containers. For more information, go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/bpa