1998 Hermitage

Sorrel likes the '99 whites for their richness and fresh acidity; potential alcohol levels exceeded 14% for the first time. As to the reds, Sorrel views '99 as good, but not up to the quality of '98, which featured stronger material. (But he was already quite excited about the new 2000 vintage, which he said was potentially in the class of '98.) The style here has changed in the direction of suppler texture in the past couple of years: Sorrel destemmed half his fruit following the '98 harvest, then destemmed completely in '99. He made it clear that he plans to continue destemming most or all of his fruit, as this practice is resulting in wines with greater early appeal.

A small but ripe crop in '98 provided Marc Sorrel with the raw materials to support a longer cuvaison. In contrast, he told me, the '97 and '96 reds were vinified more to showcase their fruity side. Collectors of Hermitage should know that Sorrel considers the '98 Greal the best wine he has made at this domain since taking over from his father in '84. He destemmed 50% of these grapes for the first time, and was so happy with the finesse this brought to the wine's texture that he destemmed entirely in '99. The '98s were in cuves at about 44oF (to precipitate tartrates), so Sorrel had me rinse my glass with boiling water before I tasted each wine.