Bernard Faurie Hermitage Blanc 2019

100% Marsanne. Faurie produces a maximum of 800 bottles of Hermitage Blanc each vintage (usually much less), a wine described by Faurie's US importer, Kermit Lynch, as an "absolutely mesmerizing example from the lower slopes that is wiry, stony, and coiled for many years of unfurling." Faurie's 0.2 hectares of Marsanne was planted between 1920 and 1960. The vines are trained on stakes in the lower slopes of Les Greffieux where Faurie tells us the soils (very rocky, decomposed granite) are influenced by the neighbouring Bessards terroir.

The fruit was simply whole-bunch pressed and naturally fermented in old cask, with only partial malo. Faurie picked the grapes reasonably early this vintage, to lock in as much freshness as possible. He advises patience (good luck with that!) as there is so much structural matter waiting to be resolved.

If you've ever wondered how great Marsanne can be, this is one of a small number of bottles to try. It's worth noting that back in the late 1800s, a merchant was obliged to buy a producer's red Hermitage in order to secure an allocation of the white. Faurie's wine gives us an idea of why this may have once been the case.

"Shimmering silver-straw. An intensely perfumed bouquet evokes fresh pear, peach nectar, anise and candied ginger, and a smoky mineral quality builds in the glass. Sappy, seamless and precise on the palate, offering intense orchard and pit fruit and honeysuckle flavors that are lifted and braced by a core of minerality and a hint of citrus pith. Shows outstanding tenacity on a mineral-driven finish that echoes the floral and pear notes." 95-96 points, Josh Reynolds, Vinous

Country: France
Region: Rhone Valley