Ferraton Pere & Fils Hermitage Les Miaux, Rhone, France

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The 2010 Ermitage Les Dionnieres and 2010 Hermitage Le Miaux are slightly less powerful and rich than their 2009 counterparts, but both ooze with blue and black fruit, licorice, graphite, black truffle and earth characteristics. Le Miaux has a fleshier, beef blood-like intensity and Les Dionnieres is a slightly smokier, more evolved effort. Both are top-notch wines that should drink well for 20-25 years. (Not yet released)If the turn around in quality of the Paul Jaboulet-Aine wines is the biggest good news story of qualitative improvement in the northern Rhone, what Michel Chapoutier has accomplished with Ferraton is a close second. This is definitely a name to be taken seriously, as Chapoutier has expanded the portfolio and continues to upgrade the quality across the board. Ferraton’s 2009s and 2010s are the finest wines made to date. There appears to be three levels of quality now being produced, beginning with the generic bottlings, to the single vineyard (or lieu-dit) offerings, followed by the top of the line, more expensive, limited production efforts called selections parcellaires.Importer: A French Paradox, Peoria, IL; tel. (309) 682-8994

The 2009 Hermitage Le Miaux red comes primarily from Meal and Viognet. Although somewhat closed, it reveals notions of beef blood and bay leaves in addition to a tightly knit, elegant style with impressive concentration and good weight and richness. However, it is not one of the stars of the vintage in Hermitage. In fact, I preferred the following offerings from less prestigious appellations more than the 2009 Hermitage Le Miaux. If the turn around in quality of the Paul Jaboulet-Aine wines is the biggest good news story of qualitative improvement in the northern Rhone, what Michel Chapoutier has accomplished with Ferraton is a close second. This is definitely a name to be taken seriously, as Chapoutier has expanded the portfolio and continues to upgrade the quality across the board. Ferraton’s 2009s and 2010s are the finest wines made to date. There appears to be three levels of quality now being produced, beginning with the generic bottlings, to the single vineyard (or lieu-dit) offerings, followed by the top of the line, more expensive, limited production efforts called selections parcellaires.Importer: A French Paradox, Peoria, IL; tel. (309) 682-8994

The best of the 2008s from Ferraton, a bio-dynamically run estate owned by the large Tain l’Hermitage firm of Chapoutier, includes the 2008 Hermitage Le Miaux. It exhibits spicy oak along with hints of roasted meat, bouquet garni, black currants and earth. This medium-bodied, soft, round red is ideal for drinking over the next 5-7 years. Ferraton’s parent company, Chapoutier, has done an excellent job in St.-Peray working with Marsanne and Roussanne. This long-forgotten appellation may turn out to be the Northern Rhone’s white wine answer to Burgundy’s Chablis. As for the 2009 red wines, this is the best portfolio of dry red wines Ferraton has yet produced.Importer: A French Paradox, Peoria, IL; tel. (309) 682-8994