Tain l’Hermitage
It’s sad to say but Tain l’Hermitage is a dreary little town. It lies about 90 km south of Lyon on the east side of the Rhone river. I walked around and chatted to people, but there was very little of interest.
I did enter a small wine boutique, run by Georges, a man of Greek origin. He explained to me that his shop is for connoisseurs, people who know wines of the region.
Georges could not offer me a tasting of anything. In other words, he could obviously tell that I am not a connoisseur.
But Tain l’Hermitage does have some redeeming features. Its terraced vineyards, which produce the wonderful Hermitage wine, climb sharply up Hermitage Hill on the east side of the town. Hermitage Hill offers spectacular views over the Rhone Valley, and Tournon-sur-Rhône, another winemaking town on the west side of the Rhone river.
And something which is crucial for me, Tain l’Hermitage is accessible by train from Lyon, a little over one hour away.
Indeed, Tain l’Hermitage is home to Hermitage, one of France’s legendary wines (Crozes-Hermitage, another great wine, is produced just slightly north up the river). Its vineyards extend over only 130 hectares on the left bank of the Rhône, and are worked by 35 winegrowers.
Hermitage should be a pilgrimage stop for all Australian wine buffs, who have grown up drinking red wines made from the Shiraz grape (known in France as Syrah). Indeed, the red wines of Hermitage are made from Syrah, with a powerful ruby color that acquires a surprising suppleness over the years.
The white wines from Hermitage, though less common, usually combine the roussanne and marsanne grape varieties. They offer floral aromas, with notes of peach and apricot.
I was amazed to find in this dreary little town, the very beautiful boutique of Chapoutier which sells its excellent wines, and offers free wine tasting. Since I still had to climb Hermitage Hill, I only tasted one red and one white wine. Both wonderful, well balanced wines. The red will age well for many years to come.
The Chapoutier adventure in Hermitage began in 1808, more than 210 years ago. And with Mathilde and Maxime, a new generation joins Corinne and Michel Chapoutier to perpetuate the tradition of a family House.
In my experience, many French people are astonished that Australia has a wine industry. In fact, European grapes arrived in Australia with the first European settlers in 1788.
And today, Chapoutier now has an operation in Australia, at Heathcote in the state of Victoria.
The young fellow who received me warmly for a tasting at the Chapoutier Maison spoke to me with great enthusiasm about the company’s operation in Australia, where his brother is currently working. Indeed, he will soon be moving to Australia to work for Chapoutier.