61 Hermitage AC 2008 Les Greffieux - Bessards
Bernard Faurie

Grape:100% Syrah (13.5% alc.)

Les Greffieux is a lieu-dit where the soils mix alluvial Rhône stones and decomposed granite over a granite base rock. Bessards, where the soil and mother rock are made of granite, provides structure and backbone. The vines average 80 years of age and produced a wine in 2008 with good texture, raspberry and black fruit, iron, hint of black pepper and fine grained tannin. For drinking late 2012 to 2020.

Technical Information
Winemaker:	Bernard Faurie
Location:	Tournon- Tain L’Ermitage, Greffieux, Bessards and Meal
Size of domaine:	4 hectares in total (2.3 in St Joseph & 1.7 in Hermitage)
Grape:	100% Syrah (petit serine) with an average of 60 years. Gobelet planted on 3309 rootstock. 7500 vines per hectare.
Terroir:	Les Greffieux – alluvium + Rhône pebbles – planted in 1914 . Assemblage – LG (3/7) Bessards (3/7) (granite), Meal 1/7 (schist, alluvium, very complex soil giving powerful but fine wine). Elevation of 130 to 150 metres on a 30% incline facing south. Depth of soil between 10 to 60cms. Bessards tends to give wines with a lot of power/structure.
Viticulture:	De-buds but does not green harvest. Works with horse and plough. Tries to keep maximum number of leaves to aid photosynthesis. Treats oidium with flowers of sulphur. Organic fertiliser applied in the winter. Manual harvest. Yield of 35 H/H.
Vinification:	No table de trie. No destalking or crushing and natural yeasts. Uses 3 remontages a day for 5 days. Alcoholic ferment for 10-12 days in oak vats followed by a 16-21 day cuvaison. Max temperature 28-32°C. Buscher press and press wine is assembled at the first racking. 10-15% new oak up to 6 yr old 600 litre barrels. Racked twice. Not fined but filtered lightly with small plaques. Bottles in January and April (19 months). We buy from the April bottling. Total production of 5,000 bottles.
Press:

 

qty (bottles)

exc vat: £28.33