De L'Oree Assortment Case (2011)
⏳ Drinking Window
2016 - 2035
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted lobster with butter sauce, pan-seared sweetbreads, or mature hard cheeses like Comté.
✨ Technical Specifications
Crafted by the pioneering Michel Chapoutier, the Ermitage 'De L'Orée' is a legendary expression of 100% Marsanne sourced from the ancient, low-yielding vines of the 'Les Murets' lieu-dit on the historic hill of Hermitage. Rooted in fluvioglacial alluvial soils rich in pebbles, these vines—some over a century old—produce a white wine of unparalleled depth, power, and minerality. Chapoutier, a fierce advocate for biodynamic farming, introduced braille to his labels in 1996 as a tribute to Maurice de La Sizeranne, inventor of a form of abbreviated braille and descendant of the original owners of the Sizeranne vineyard. This special assortment case captures a stunning vertical journey from 2011 to 2016, showcasing how the intense notes of honeysuckle, ripe stone fruits, beeswax, and toasted hazelnuts evolve under different vintage conditions while maintaining the signature saline minerality and opulent texture that defines this iconic cuvée.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1808 in Tain-l'Hermitage, Maison M. Chapoutier was transformed into a global benchmark for terroir-driven viticulture after Michel Chapoutier took charge in 1990. Operating on the motto 'Fac & Spera' (Do and Hope), the estate became an early, outspoken pioneer of biodynamic farming in 1991 across its extensive estate vineyards. Rooted along the granite terraces, fluvioglacial alluvial soils, and limestone outcrops of the northern and southern Rhône Valley, Chapoutier crafts transparent, single-vineyard bottlings (sélections parcellaires) alongside international ventures in regions like Portugal's Douro Valley. Winemaking favors indigenous yeasts, gentle extraction, and minimal intervention to preserve purity of origin, often eschewing new wood in favor of neutral oak casks or concrete vats. Benchmark cuvées—famed for their tactile Braille labeling introduced in 1994—include Hermitage icons such as Le Méal Blanc, De l'Orée, Les Greffieux, and Côte-Rôtie's La Mordorée, epitomizing tension, minerality, and structural longevity.
🍇 Grape Varieties
Marsanne, Roussanne