Les Greffieux Assortment Case (2012)
⏳ Drinking Window
2012 - 2017
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted rack of lamb with rosemary, slow-braised beef short ribs, or roasted wild game such as venison.
✨ Technical Specifications
Hailing from the legendary hill of Hermitage in the northern Rhône Valley, M. Chapoutier's 'Les Greffieux' is a masterclass in single-parcel Syrah. The 'Les Greffieux' vineyard sits at the base of the Hermitage hill, where the soil is characterized by a rich tapestry of sedimentary alluvial deposits, clay, and rounded river stones that retain the sun's heat. This unique terroir produces a Syrah of remarkable fleshiness, deep black fruit character, and velvety tannins, contrasting beautifully with the more austere granite-driven parcels nearby. Michel Chapoutier, a fierce proponent of biodynamics, crafts this wine with minimal intervention, fermenting in concrete vats before aging in oak casks. This assortment case, spanning the 2012 to 2017 vintages, offers a rare comparative journey through a decade of varying climatic conditions, showcasing how this historic site translates vintage variation into liquid poetry.
🍾 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
Syrah (min 90%)