The Belle of Hermitage Domaine Belle in Larnage can trace its vine growing lineage back to 1769 when the Lord of Larnage gave each family in the village parcels of vineyards. Fast forward to 1933 when Louis Belle takes over the family vineyards that had previously been consolidated and expanded over the previous century. Louis loved to farm, but he did not enjoy having to actually produce wine. As a result, Louis Belle, with several of his peers of the Northern-Rhone, co-founded the cooperative Tain l’Hermitage. The Belle family holdings became core expressions of Crozes-Hermitage at Tain l’Hermitage. Open minded and forward thinking, Louis anticipated that at some point a following generation would want to produce Domaine wines and as a result, when key parcels and vineyards came up for sale, Louis with his connections from the cooperative acquired as many as possible. In fact, it did not take numerous generations to decide they wanted to produce estate wines. Albert Belle, Louis’s son, started to make wine for himself, friends, family and local restaurants. However, it is Albert’s son, Phillipe, who attended oenology school and was adamant about making wine that in 1990 insisted on registering and commercially producing Domaine Belle. Domaine Belle today stretches across the northern-Rhone producing estate wines from St. Joseph, Hermitage and Crozes-Hermitage. Crozes-Hermitage is the heart and soul of the domaine. The Cuvee Louis Belle is a combination of the family vineyards from Larnage and Crozes-Hermitage. This pure Syrah is farmed and certified organic. Aging in oak for this cuvee only includes 15% new oak while the majority is aged for 18 months in two and three year old barrels. The 2019 vintage is a classic expression of Crozes-Hermitage, showcasing the floral attributes of Syrah with the peppercorn and smoked meat edge that is so distinctive for this appellation. Cheers, |
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