Now is the time to Stock that Cellar!

Ferraton Père et Fils has been producing world class rhone wines from their winery in Tain l'Hermitage since the 1940's. The setting is a Syrah lover's paradise, rugged hillside vineyards and storied sites like Hermitage, Cote Rotie, St Joseph and Cornas to name a few.

More recently the estate was purchased by Rhone legend Michel Chapoutier (1998) who reinvigorated this historic house with enhanced vineyard and cellar management and converted the property to organic and biodynamic (witchcraft) practices. Today, the wines are phenomenal.

The 2007 Crozes Hermitage "La Martinière" is sourced from the flat lands surrounding the hill of Hermitage. The wine is 100% Syrah and aged for 12 months in barrel. It recently survived a very rare occasion of a two day trial at my dinner table and passed with flying colors!

Day 1: Nose is fresh, perfumed and fragrant. Crushed berries lead but mingle and towards the end are dominated by exotic spice, and hints of no-so-new oak. This wine is all about the elegance. It teases you and seduces you with class that only the French could pull off.

Day 2: Can't believe it's still here, but I wanted to see how this made it through the night. The bright, fresh fruit of yesterday has softened in it's acidity. The wine is even better integrated after 24 hours, fruit, oak, spice and body all playing together in perfect harmony.

This wine is a beauty now, but it's got a long life ahead of it. A rare opportunity to stock your cellar for under $20.
Lot's of press... see below

Wine Spectator: "A fresh, tangy style, with bright acidity running through the iron, red cherry and lavender notes, followed by a long, supple finish. Drink now through 2010. 8,000 cases made"

The Wine Advocate: "Owned by Michel Chapoutier, Ferraton has been a solidly reliable, if uninspiring producer until the last several vintages. A few years ago, the Chapoutier team decided to push for maximum quality at this estate, and as a result, the finest wines to emerge thus far are the 2006s, followed by the 2007s. Moreover, prices remain extremely fair as the world marketplace has not yet recognized the rise in quality of Ferraton wines."

International Wine Cellar: "Deep red. Spicy, sharply focused red berry and mineral aromas are complicated by blood orange and a hint of smoked meat. Very tight on the palate, showing a tangy, red berry-dominated personality, with firm tannins adding grip."