Wine Advisor
Marc Sorrel, Hermitage Le Greal 1999
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Jeb Dunnuck
More straight and focused than the 1998 or 2000, the 1999 Hermitage le Greal is a classically styled Hermitage (the 1999 was mostly destemmed) that has solid minerality in its smoked meats, red and black fruits, licorice and peppery aromas and flavors. Medium to full-bodied, elegant, mature and slightly straightforward, it's drinking nicely but should hold through 2020.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
This wine possesses low alcohol, and was completely destemmed. The 1999 Hermitage Le Greal achieved 13.3% natural alcohol. The dense purple-colored 1999 offers a beautiful nose of cassis and blackberry fruit, medium to full body, superb concentration, moderately high tannin, good acidity, and a long, 30+ second finish. There is a Medoc-like austerity in the back end, but the 1999 does not have much power, concentration, or viscosity. Nevertheless, it is a superb example of Hermitage that should have at least two decades of evolution. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2023. Importers: Cynthia Hurley Wine Imports, West Newton, MA; fax (617) 965-7530 and World Wine Import, Atlanta, GA; fax (404) 842-1487
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Marc Sorrel had just bottled his 1999s before my visit. The closed, backward 1999 Hermitage Le Greal seemed to have more potential when I tasted it last year. It is medium-bodied, with tart acidity, and a sweet nose of strawberry and black cherry fruit intermixed with earth, licorice, and a touch of pepper. An herbaceous character emerges as the wine sits in the glass. In the mouth, refreshing acidity gives up-lift, but the weight, substance, and fat of a top Hermitage are lacking. This is a rare case where a northern Rhone 2000 is better than its 1999 counterpart. Not a single new oak barrel can be found in Sorrel's cellars, which are on the main street of Tain l'Hermitage. His one concession to modernism is his air-conditioned cellar. Production is small, with 1,000 cases of white and red Hermitage, and the rest Crozes-Hermitage. Importers: Cynthia Hurley Wine Imports, West Newton, MA; fax (617) 965-7530 and World Wine Import, Atlanta, GA; fax (404) 842-1487
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.
