Tain-L'Hermitage

One of the things we like to do when we are in Sablet is visit new villages and explore new wine appellations. These are new only for Shirley and me since the villages and wine appellations have been around for hundreds of years.

We were headed north one day last fall to visit our cousin Anne-Emmanuelle and her partner Nicolas and see their newly purchased house in Moroges, a small village in the Côte Chalonnaise region of Burgundy.

Since our travel north on the A-7 would traverse the Northern Côte du Rhone, we decided we should stop and visit Tain L'Hermitage, center of the Hermitage Appellation d'Origine Controlee (AOC).



The town of Tain-L'Hermitage is located just west of the "autoroute" along the left bank of the Rhone River to the north of Valence about 1 1/2 hours by car from Sablet.

Wine and chocolate make Tain-L'Hermitage a favorite stop for food and wine lovers like us. Chocolate maker Valrhona is based in Tain-L'Hermitage and bars, sauces and powders can be sampled for free and bought in the boutique on Avenue du Président-Roosevelt.



In his wonderful book Adventures on the Wine Route, reknown wine importer Kermit Lynch says "If there is any single vineyard that the Creator obviously designed expressly for wine production, it is Hermitage."

Hermitage is one hillside slanted due south overlooking the Rhone River. The surface area of the Hermitage vineyards total 300 acres, the smallest AOC in the Northern Côte du Rhone.



Syrah is the only red grape permited in Hermitage AOC wines. A small amount of white wine grapes, up to 15%, of either Marsanne or Roussanne may be blended with the Syrah.

White wines from Hermitage are made exclusively from Marsanne or Roussanne grapes.



The best way to experience the Hermitage Vineyards is to hike up the hill through the vineyards overlooking Tain-L'Hermitage. A road under the railroad track leads to the base of the vineyards which cover the hill.



This is how you get to the Hermitage vineyards.



After eating chocolate, take a stroll along the Rhone River. The town of Tournon-sur-Rhone is on the other side.



You can take a pedestrian bridge, La Passerelle Seguin, across the Rhone River, to get to Tournon-sur-Rhone. Walking along the river in Tournon-sur-Rhone offer the best view of Tain-L'Hermitage and the Hermitage vineyard.

There are plenty of opportunities to taste wines in Tain-L'Hermitage.

We stopped in at M. Chapoutier on Avenue Dr. Paul Durand. As vineyard owners and negociants, they have a wide selection of wines from Hermitage and elsewhere.

Unfortunately, since we were expected at our cousin's house, we didn't get to spend a lot of time tasting wines or go anywhere else. We will definitely return soon.