Wine Advisor
Marc Sorrel, Hermitage Les Rocoules 2003
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Jeb Dunnuck
Sorrel's 2003 Hermitage Blanc les Rocoules is sensational stuff. Thick, unctuous and made in a pedal-to-the-metal style, it offers lots of almond paste, white currants, honeysuckle and white-flower notes to go with tons of glycerol, full-bodied richness, huge concentration and a blockbuster, heady finish. Harvested early in September (which is late in this vintage), and seeing malo in barrel, I'm sure some will find this over the top, but I love it. It's still fresh and lively at age 12, and, given its lofty alcohol and serious concentration, it should have another couple decades of longevity.
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.
