In the Hermitage appellation there are still some small-scale winegrowers cultivating their vineyards alongside the larger commercial operations. Marc Sorrel is one such producer and his Hermitage Le Gréal is now on par with the area’s best-known wines. In the early 1980s, Marc took over from his father who had decided, at the start of the 1970s, to produce and bottle his own wine instead of selling it to the trade. When his father died, he inherited some of the vineyards and bought just over one hectare of other parcels on the Colline de l’Hermitage. Today, he tends his old vines on some of the finest plots on the hillside meticulously and with a passion.

Le Gréal is a blend, just like its name, as Le Gréal is in fact a contraction of two localities: le Méal (with 50-year-old vines) and les Greffieux (12-year-old vines). Rich and elegant, the Hermitage Le Gréal is quite simply a wine which is difficult to find: only 4,000 to 5,000 bottles are produced each year. It is made of 90% Syrah and 10% Marsanne. Ageing lasts between 18 to 24 months in barrels and the wine is not subject to filtration or fining. A very powerful wine, let it flourish for many years in the cellar to appreciate it to the maximum.