Wine Advisor
Marc Sorrel, Hermitage 2009
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
This has a vibrant, ripe, audacious bouquet with macerated dark cherries, creme de cassis, peppermint, fig and dates. It is almost over-exuberant. The palate is very sweet on the entry, full-bodied with luscious tannins, sweet fig and fresh prune, but lacking the requisite acidity on the finish to keep it all in balance. It just comes across as “over-the-top”. Tasted February 2011.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 2009 Hermitage (which comes from Sorrel’s three parcels in Les Bessards, Les Greffieux and Les Plantiers) possesses supple tannin along with lots of red and black fruit, licorice, acacia flower and camphor characteristics. Full-bodied, with good acidity and a forward style, it begs for consumption over the next 12-15 years. Importer: J.O.A. Imports, McLean, VA; www.jaowineimports.com
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Exhibiting sensational potential, the black/purple-colored 2009 Hermitage reveals smoky graphite, creme de cassis, blackberry, acacia flower and earthy aromas. This full-bodied, rich, powerful 2009 combines elegance with power. It has plenty of tannin as well as acidity and thus will benefit from 3-5 years of cellaring and should age for two decades. (Not yet released) Sorrel’s holdings in Larnage in Crozes-Hermitage consist of equal parts Roussanne and Marsanne. In most vintages, Sorrel produces two cuvees of white Hermitage. The top white is Les Rocoules, which emerges from that well-know hillside site on the granite Hill of Hermitage. Importer: J. O. A. Imports, McLean, VA; www.jaowineimports.com
About the Producer
Marc Sorrel is a leading estate in the Hermitage appellation of the northern Rhône, producing traditionally styled, long-lived red wines from Syrah as well as white wines from Marsanne and Roussanne. The estate was founded in 1928 by Félix Sorrel and from 1984 to 2018, was run by his grandson Marc. Today, Marc's son Guillaume is at the helm of the domaine. The estate is best known for its Hermitage wines, sourced from several plots on the famous hillside. Typically, the vines are planted on granite-based soils, and enjoy the region's sunny, south-oriented mesoclimate. Some of the vines are more than 60 years old, and produce tiny yields of intensely concentrated berries. There are four Hermitage wines in Marc Sorrel's current portfolio – two red and two white and are varietal expressions of Syrah and Marsanne respectively. The top red wine, Le Gréal, is produced in tiny amounts from the best old vine parcels of Syrah within the estate with a small portion of Marsanne. The white wine, Les Rocoules, is predominantly Marsanne with a little Roussanne. Marc Sorrel also makes a red and a white Crozes-Hermitage wine. In the winery, the grapes are often whole-bunch fermented. The white varieties are fermented in large used oak barrels to impart a soft oak influence. All wines are aged in old oak barrels in the cellar for a period prior to bottling.
