Michel Tardieu's future might have seemed perfectly mapped out, when he was working as a civil servant and tending vineyards in the Rhone Valley in his spare time. But in 1996 he decided to take a giant leap and concentrate on his passion by going into partnership with Burgundy wine négociant Dominique Laurent. Together, they established Maison Tardieu-Laurent in Loumarin in the heart of Michel's native Provence. Since then, they have both worked hard to track down the best vineyard plots in the Rhone terroir. And thanks to a meticulous and skilful barrel-maturing process they produce wines with excellent ageing potential. Today, Michel Tardieu still works as a négociant and consultant oenologist but has been joined in the business by his children Bastien and Camille.

This hermitage comes from the terroirs of Rouméas, Pierrelles and Les Diognères. These vines, which are about 60 years old, grow on clay-granite soils and 30% of the harvest is not destemmed. The resulting wine will be aged in new barriques (Allier and Tronçais) for twelve months then in foudres for a further year. It is neither fined nor filtered.