Bernard Faurie Hermitage Blanc 2018

100% Marsanne. Faurie bottles a maximum of 800 bottles of Hermitage Blanc, usually much less, and this is our first allocation ever! Faurie's 0.2 hectares of Marsanne were planted between 1920-1960. The vines are trained on stakes in the lower slopes of Le Greffieux where Faurie says the soils - very rocky decomposed granite - are influenced by the Bessards terroir. The wine is simply whole bunch pressed and naturally fermented in 1-6 year old 228-litre barriques, with only partial malo. Made in minute qualities, this is an enthralling example from what Faurie calls, 'a great vintage for whites'. Up front it's silky and compact, with ripe fruit hinting at marmalade and yellow plum - and then it progressively tightens, becoming more and more flinty and smoky with a vibrantly fresh and gently grippy close.

Country: France
Region: Rhone Valley