The Story
The Chave family is based in a small village on the northern right bank of the Rhone. There have been Chaves growing vines on the famous Hermitage hill since 1481. Gerard Chave took over from his father in 1970 and rapidly achieved megastar status due to the extraordinary quality of his wines and has since passed on the winemaking responsibilities to his son Jean-Louis. The Chave’s methods for all their winemaking are traditional farming, super low yields, full ripeness, and minimal manipulation. Their unmatched metic- ulousness continues through ve centuries to render venerable expressions of the purest of Rhône terroir.
Vineyard Location: Rocoules: A mid-slope site of clay and limestone dominated by white grapes, as reds sourced from this site would tend to have coarse tannins.
Hermite: A monopole owned by the Chave family since 1984. Located at the very top of the Hermitage hill and has a range of soil types, including granite and loess.
Péléat: Another monopole that lies adjacent to Rocoules. Stony, sandy soil provides wines that are rmer and more complex.
Maison Blanche: A fairly large vineyard which lies above Rocoules. The soil is iron-rich clay with a top layer of ne loess.
Vini cation: Fermentation 100% in oak barrel. Aged in barriques for 24 months.