Domaine Gérard Chave

You do not need to ask for directions to find  Domaine Gérard Chave on the hill of Hermitage; in fact this family moved to the Rhone valley five centuries ago. Gérard Chave expanded his Domaine in the 1960s, when he bought vineyards at Hermitage. Expansion was not limited by the lack of land, but by the lack of manpower, more attracted by industries.

Jean Louis Chave and his father are now working to reclaim abandoned slopes to the south at Saint Joseph. It has taken three years to build a terroir, still  under development. “We are vineyard builders. That’s why my builders are as important as my vignerons – says Jean Louis. We belong to a dynasty of vignerons  and we believe in continuity with those who preceded us. Terroir is a passion. You may go wrong in producing a wine, but not in the identification of a terroir, which will last over time”.

But Hermitage is also their passion. A Hermitage wine can be found in a Nicolas catalogue dating back to 1863. Originally a white wine, Hermitage is now especially appreciated by wine lovers as a red wine.  “It takes a certain culture to “understand” white Hermitage; that’s why it is a unique wine”, says Jean Louis. And Gérard explains that “We have bought stainless steel tanks and automatic wine presses in the last few years, but looking at the past, I don’t think we are doing it better”. The fantastic 1978 Hermitage confirms this statement.

Juan Louis’ work and recent technologies have produced even more refined wines in the last few vintages, but only in the future will we know if they are better than those produced in the past.