2022 Ermitage Les Greffieux

Ripe red and black fruits, roasted herbs, roasted meats, graphite, and chocolate notes emerge from the 2022 Ermitage Les Greffieux. Full-bodied and concentrated on the palate, it has a rich, textured mouthfeel, plenty of ripe tannins, and beautiful overall balance. Coming from deeper soils on the lower slopes of Hermitage, the 2022 was 90% destemmed and spent 18 months in a mix of puncheons and demi-muids, with 15% being new. Drink 2025-2045. This was another standout tasting with Michel Chapoutier and his team, and the range continues to be among the most extensive and consistently high-quality in the region. The lineup covers every major appellation in the Northern Rhône, with a continued emphasis on finesse, vibrancy, and site expression. Starting around 2017 or 2018, there's been a clear move toward a lighter touch, and whole cluster fermentations are now used more selectively across the range. On the white side, the team is picking earlier, working with lower alcohols, more reductive winemaking, and aiming to hold onto more CO? in the finished wines, part of an effort to limit early oxidation. Still, I remain unconvinced that the shift will yield better aging potential, or better wines for that matter. Looking back, it is often the richer, more powerful vintages like 2009 and 2010 that have aged best and are still youthful, while livelier, more acid-driven years such as 2001 already show clear signs of oxidation. More importantly, even if these leaner styles age longer, they tend to remain lean, linear wines without the texture, layers, richness, and depth that define the best whites of the Northern Rhône. Hermitage, and to a degree the entire region, remains one of the few places where Marsanne and Roussanne can reach true ripeness and bring incredible richness while still staying pure and light on their feet. Early harvesting risks losing that identity, and taken to the extreme, these fresher, more linear wines could come from almost anywhere. The 2022s show the estate's modern style at its most refined, with purity and balance as well as plenty of depth and structure. The 2023s are already showing finesse and class, with solid depth of fruit. From entry-level values to the top Sélections Parcellaires cuvées, there's certainly something here for every Rhône lover.

Wild dark berries, dark cherries, spices, rose and lilac mingled with lovely peppery notes introduce the 2022 Ermitage Les Greffieux, a dense and concentrated, full-bodied and structured wine with a fleshy core of fruit, a harmonious, balanced palate and a long, mineral and peppery finish, despite a slightly green touch. Matured 80% in large barrels, 25% of which are new, this is somber yet balanced Hermitage.

The magnificent 2022 Ermitage Les Greffieux commences with enticing aromas of graphite, black cherry, cedar, red plum and earthy subtleties. Clear-cut and savory, the 2022 delivers concentrated fruit notes with great energy and focus. More full- than medium-bodied, it’s remarkably balanced and should be drinking beautifully by 2027.