Chapoutier Vin de Paille Ermitage Blanco 2000 375 ml

The Michel Chapoutier winery is a jewel of the Rhône Valley. It was founded in 1808 and is part of the history of the Côtes-du-Rhône. With the arrival of Michel Chapoutier in 1990, his leadership transformed the philosophy of winemaking in the Rhône. This philosophy is based on two basic principles: first, to seek out terroirs and get as close to them as possible, so much so that the plot becomes more important than the work of the winemaker. M. Chapoutier's viticulture is to reveal the terroir in the wine and this gives an incredible richness to the wines. Most of the wines from the Rhône are made from Syrah, and also Grenache, but M. Chapoutier's Syrah is different, it feels different. They work rigorously under the principles of biodynamics. M. Chapoutier has a very extensive line of wines and all are governed by the same principle: the vintage year is left as is: no chaptalization, no addition of yeasts or acidifiers. The production technique for Vin de Paille has its roots in the Hermitage vineyard. In order to revive this tradition, Michel CHAPOUTIER has decided, since 1990, to dedicate part of the harvest of his white Hermitage to raisinage on a bed of straw. The must obtained has a minimum concentration of 360 g of sugar per litre. After fermentation, the acquired alcohol content is around 15% vol. for a residual sugar content of 105 g/l. Fermentation and ageing take place entirely in oak barrels. Bottling takes place after 24 months of ageing. Although little produced, the light to medium amber 2000 Ermitage Vin de Paille boasts an unctuous texture plus a gorgeous orange marmalade perfume as well as truffles intertwined with crushed walnuts; it is a wine of tremendous richness and moderate sweetness. All of this is balanced by good acidity. These wines are made from grapes harvested in late October or early November that are kept on straw mats for two months before being crushed and vinified. They can be drunk young, but based on historical examples tested over the past quarter century, they will age for 50 to 100 years." (Robert Parker SIC) RP 96