Les Tanneurs
⏳ Drinking Window
2020 - 2024
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
grilled freshwater fish, roasted poultry, creamy goat cheese
✨ Technical Specifications
Hailing from the steep, granite-rich slopes of the Saint-Joseph appellation on the right bank of the Rhône River, M. Chapoutier's 'Les Tanneurs' is a beautifully crafted white wine that pays homage to the region's historical heritage. The name honors the traditional leather tanners ('tanneurs') who once lined the riverbanks, utilizing the pristine local waters for their craft. Grown on classic granitic soils, the Marsanne grapes benefit from excellent sun exposure and drainage. The wine is typically fermented in stainless steel to preserve its vibrant fruit profile and aged on its fine lees to introduce a delicate, creamy texture. This process yields a classic Northern Rhône white characterized by aromas of white flowers, stone fruits, and a subtle, stony minerality that reflects its rugged terroir.
🍾 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.
🍇 Grapes
Marsanne
🍷 ABV
13-13.5%