Le Meal Rouge
⏳ Drinking Window
2012 - 2040
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted rack of lamb, slow-cooked venison stew, grilled ribeye steak
✨ Technical Specifications
Hailing from one of the most legendary slopes of the Hermitage hill, M. Chapoutier's 'Le Méal' Rouge is a masterclass in terroir-driven Syrah. The name 'Le Méal' derives from an old French word meaning 'the best' or 'the middle,' referencing its prized mid-slope position where the vines bask in intense, south-facing sunlight. This historic vineyard is characterized by its ancient fluvioglacial alluvial soils, littered with smooth river stones (galets) that absorb the daytime heat and radiate it back to the vines at night. Cultivated under strict biodynamic principles, the old Syrah vines yield fruit of extraordinary concentration. The wine is vinified traditionally in concrete vats and aged in French oak barrels for up to 18 months without fining or filtration. The result is a monumental, deeply structured red offering a complex tapestry of dark blackberries, licorice, smoky bacon fat, and crushed stone minerality, wrapped in velvety, powerful tannins.
🍾 About the Producer
Founded in 1808 in Tain-l'Hermitage in the Rhône Valley, M. Chapoutier has grown into one of France's most celebrated wine houses, propelled to international acclaim following Michel Chapoutier's visionary leadership in 1990. A pioneer in biodynamic viticulture and minimal-intervention winemaking, the estate is revered for its single-vineyard 'sélections parcellaires' that articulate the purest nuances of individual terroirs across the Rhône and beyond. Iconic for incorporating Braille script on every label since 1996, Chapoutier produces benchmark expressions of Syrah, Marsanne, and Grenache across prestigious appellations including Hermitage, Côte-Rôtie, and Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
🍇 Grape Varieties
100% Syrah
🍷 Alcohol By Volume (ABV)
14-14.5%