Description
The grapes come from 3 distinctive parts of the Hermitage hill. The majority of the blend comes from Diognières, which is at the base of the hill on alluvial soil with many small pebbles. It lends a note of spice to the wine. The next parcel is Péleat. It sits above Diognières and is composed of more sand and limestone in the clay. It gives finesse to the wine. And finally, Greffieux sits at the base of Le Méal on the hill. Its soil consists of rolled river stones brought by the glaciers. It brings structure to the finished wine. Farconnet was the name of a nobleman back in the time of Jean Louis Chave’s great grandfather. He was actually the man from whom the great grandfather bought the Bessards parcel.
Winemaker notes ~ "In classic Chave style this starts out with all of the cracked pepper, lavender and gamey notes Syrah in a perfect spot can give you. Then you find the lightness that sets Chave apart from the pack. Not that the weight is missing, it's just a delicate almost pinot like texture that only a master of their craft can execute. A wonderful wine that can easily gain complexity with a decade or so in the cellar."
