2020 Hermitage Rouge “La Pierrelle”
Barruol / Lynch
Returning home from a particularly brutal and bloody crusade (even by medieval standards)—over a minor religious squabble and against his own countrymen, no less—a young knight took refuge in a chapel on the top of the hill of Hermitage, far from the village and ruckus below. In an effort to break from the past, the knight planted vines, made wine, and always offered some to religious pilgrims making their way over the hill. Word of the hermit and his wine soon spread, attracting followers who helped expand the operation, and the rest is history. The rocky Pierrelle parcel, also at the top of Hermitage, is a small, lesser-known terroir that offers a wine of great elegance and restraint.
—Chris Santini
| Wine Type: | red |
| Vintage: | 2020 |
| Bottle Size: | 750mL |
| Blend: | Syrah |
| Appellation: | Hermitage |
| Country: | France |
| Region: | Northern Rhône |
| Producer: | Barruol / Lynch |
| Winemaker: | Louis Barruol |
| Vineyard: | 30 - 50 years |
| Soil: | Granite |
| Aging: | Aged on average for 15 months in barrel, no new barrels - barrels are 1 or 2 years old |
| Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
| Alcohol: | 14.5% |
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About The Producer
Barruol / Lynch
Louis Barruol is an indefatigable force in the Rhône, the 14th generation in his family to be making wine in Gigondas. On what was once the site of a Roman villa, Louis’ cellars show spectacular remains of Roman vinification vats carved into the limestone. Here, Louis works with different grape varietals from the Rhône, vinifying each parcel separately. He’s taken to acting as a micro-négociant, working with top growers in the region who still work with Sérine. Producing only a few precious barrels of each cuvée, Louis is helping to save the authenticity and identity of old Côte Rôtie parcels. Together, he and Kermit blend our Northern Rhône wines and a Southern Côtes du Rhône Blanc and Rouge from a selection of Louis’ purchases.
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Kermit once said...
Kermit once said...
For the wines that I buy I insist that the winemaker leave them whole, intact. I go into the cellars now and select specific barrels or cuvées, and I request that they be bottled without stripping them with filters or other devices. This means that many of our wines will arrive with a smudge of sediment and will throw a more important deposit as time goes by, It also means the wine will taste better.