Ligne de Crête
Red
- Grape Variety
- 100% syrah
- Soils
- Granite
- Surface
- 2.7hectares
- Appellation
- Hermitage
Terroir of ligne de crête
Ligne de Crête takes its name from its exceptional location: it is the highest parcel of l’Hermitage, perched at 325 meters of altitude in Les Grandes Vignes, at the western edge of the hill. The soil is extremely poor, granitic, shallow, and exposed to climatic variations. At this altitude, the vine grows slowly, bathed in intense light yet spared from excessive heat.
Ligne de Crête expresses the singularity of a unique terroir on l’Hermitage hill, an open amphitheatre suspended between earth and sky. It is crafted as a wine of soaring finesse, transcending the characteristics of its terroir, its grape variety, and its vintage. While the wine belongs to the appellation through its ageing potential and balance, it distinguishes itself through a refined elegance.
Vintages
Vintage
After a rainy end to 2022, an exceptionally dry winter and early spring led to early and uniform budburst. The wetter late spring, with no mistral winds, was offset by favorable flowering conditions, accelerating the vegetative cycle. Veraison progressed steadily in late July. The August heatwave hastened ripening in parts of the vineyard, sometimes resulting in heterogeneity between parcels.
Winemaking and ageing
The harvest is carried out by hand, and 30% of the grapes are vinified as whole clusters to enhance freshness, structure, and aromatic complexity. Fermentation and maceration last for approximately ten days. Extractions are gentle and focused on the early stages of fermentation, with pump-overs and punch-downs adjusted daily based on the tasting of each individual vat. After pressing, the wine is racked and transferred to barrels.
Malolactic fermentation takes place in oak barrels, followed by ageing for around 18 months, with the proportion of new oak limited to 30%. This is complemented by a further 18 months of ageing in stainless steel vats prior to bottling.
Wine profile
Extremely intense colour, almost opaque due to its density. Before aeration, the wine displays a powerful yet restrained aromatic intensity.
The fruity notes remain subtle, whilst the floral notes dominate. It reveals aromas of violet, peppery rose, peony, hawthorn…
From the very first sip, this wine reveals its full verticality. The tension of the tannic structure gives a false sensation of lightness. The power only reveals itself on the finish. Throughout the tasting, we are strucked by the freshness of this wine.
Rewards
99
May 2025
“How can a wine as powerful and concentrated as a great Hermitage have this mind-blowing finesse ? The stony and wind-swept nature of this vineyard site is precisely reflected in this masterpiece of purity, delicacy and wild herb freshness. It’s hard to put all this into words, most of all the extraordinary mineral energy in the almost endless finish .[…]”
96-98
May 2025
“A more powerful, inky-hued, structured Hermitage from a single lieu-dit at the top of the hill, the 2023 Hermitage Les Grandes Vignes sports a deep purple hue as weel as stunning aromatics of black fruits, cassis, crushed stone, liquid violets, and new leather. This unctuous, concentrated, yet flawlessly balanced beauty is seamless and has a great, great finish. […]”
Technical information
Production
4348 bottles
Ageing
28 months
Cellar ageing
30 years
Vintage
Marked by exceptional drought conditions and unusually early ripening, the 2022 vintage will be remembered as one of the most distinctive in recent years. Following a late budburst caused by winter cold, a warm and sunny spring accelerated vine development, while the heat of summer encouraged remarkable berry concentration. Despite limited yields, the harvest revealed grapes in outstanding sanitary condition, combining intensity, balanced ripeness, freshness and precision.
Winemaking and ageing
The harvest is carried out by hand, and the grapes are vinified with 80% whole clusters to enhance freshness, structure, and aromatic complexity.
Fermentation and maceration last for approximately ten days. Extraction is gentle and focused during the early stages of fermentation, with pump-overs and punch-downs adjusted daily according to the tasting of each tank.
After draining off, the wine is racked and transferred into barrels. Malolactic fermentation takes place in barrel, followed by about 18 months of ageing, with new oak limited to 30%, complemented by 3 months of ageing in stainless steel tanks before bottling.
Wine profile
On the nose, the wine opens with intense floral aromas of violet, peony, and dried rose, carried by a fresh fruit profile dominated by notes of raspberry, redcurrant, and black cherry.
With aeration, deeper nuances of black tea, nutmeg, graphite, and blond tobacco emerge, supported by impeccably integrated oak.
On the palate, the attack is precise and pure. The structure is elegant and streamlined, driven by fine, silky, almost velvety tannins. The mid-palate offers a subtle balance between ripeness and restraint, while the long, saline finish extends the sense of verticality that is characteristic of the terroir.
Rewards
99
May 2025
“[…] It brings another level of everything and has a killer perfume of smoky black and blue fruits, crushed stone, new leather, and graphite. This deep, rich, full-bodied effort has a layered, multi-dimensional mouthfeel, gorgeous tannins, and perfect balance. While it already offers pleasure, it deserves 5-7 years of bottle age and will have 2-3 decades of overall longevity. It’s an absolute dream of an Hermitage ! Drink 2033-2063.”
98
May 2024
“Compelling nose of raw meat, the blackest wild berries, smoke and licorice, but this description barely scratches the surface of what’s really in here. Gigantic concentration and mineral tension that is not for the faint of heart in this very youthful form. […].”
Technical information
Production
5621 bottles
Ageing
21 months
Cellar ageing
30 years
Vintage
The 2020 harvest was marked by exceptional earliness and record dryness.
Ripeness levels proved highly heterogeneous, requiring harvesting to be spread over 28 days. Despite these extreme conditions, the balance of the grapes remained under control, resulting in wines with gentle, supple tannins.
winemaking and ageing
The harvest is carried out by hand, and the grapes are vinified with 80% whole clusters to enhance freshness, structure, and aromatic complexity.
Fermentation and maceration last for approximately ten days. Extraction is gentle and focused during the early stages of fermentation, with pump-overs and punch-downs adjusted daily according to the tasting of each tank.
After draining off, the wine is racked and transferred into barrels. Malolactic fermentation takes place in barrel, followed by about 18 months of ageing, with new oak limited to 30%.
Rewards
99
March 2024
“[…] It’s clearly the biggest, baddest beauty in the lineup and is another palate-saturating Hermitage with extraordinary richness and depth. Blackberries, currants, black truffle, smoked meats, espresso, and new leather notes all define this incredible wine, which has a deep, full-bodied, multi-dimensional mouthfeel, ripe, velvety tannins, and incredibly minerality that emerges on the finish. […]”
98
April 2023
“What an amazing nose this Hermitage has with effusive aromas of summer flowers, including red roses, plus pomegranate and licorice. Stunning concentration, but no less remarkable elegance. However, that’s the rational way to describe this wine. Actually, I just want to sink into the embrace of this extraordinary beauty. Enormously long and refined finish. […]”
96-98
February 2022
“[…] It’s another inky hued Hermitage yet has a more rounded, supple style compared to the Les Bessards, with gorgeous cassis and black raspberry fruits, notes of crushed stone, bacon fat, new leather, and flowery incense, full-bodied richness, velvety tannins, and a great finish. […]”
Technical information
Production
4734 bottles
Ageing
21 months
Cellar ageing
30 years
Vintage
The 2019 vintage benefited from a mild spring and steady vine growth, with very little disease pressure and exceptionally healthy foliage. Ripening, which came early, unfolded under excellent conditions, producing grapes with very high sugar concentration. Juice yields were very low, but the remarkable quality of the musts heralds a vintage with outstanding ageing potential.
Winemaking and ageing
The harvest is carried out by hand, and the grapes are vinified with 80% whole clusters to enhance freshness, structure, and aromatic complexity.
Fermentation and maceration last for approximately ten days. Extraction is gentle and focused during the early stages of fermentation, with pump-overs and punch-downs adjusted daily according to the tasting of each tank.
After draining off, the wine is racked and transferred into barrels. Malolactic fermentation takes place in barrel, followed by about 18 months of ageing, with new oak limited to 30%.
Rewards
97
December 2022
“Inky ruby color. Expansive, smoke- and mineral-accented black and blue fruits, licorice, smoky bacon, mocha, violet and licorice on the highly perfumed nose. Appealingly sweet, mineral-accented cassis, boysenberry, fruitcake, floral pastille and vanilla flavors show superb depth and become spicier with aeration. Shows superb detail and mineral lift on the youthfully tannic, extremely persistent and incisive finish, which features resonating floral and exotic spice notes.”
96-98
May 2020
“Powerful, highly perfumed aromas of black/blue fruit liqueur, licorice, olive and potpourri are complemented by an exotic suggestion of incense. Stains the palate with intense boysenberry, cherry, cassis and spicecake flavors that deepen steadily through the midpalate. Shows a suave blend of power and delicacy and betrays no rough edges. Youthfully chewy tannins add shape to an extremely long, mineral-driven finish that delivers outstanding clarity and floral thrust.”
Technical information
Production
8611 bottles
Ageing
21 months
Cellar ageing
30 years
Rewards
99
Vintage 2023
99
Vintage 2022
98
Vintage 2022
