Ravaille brothers from Ermitage du Pic Saint Loup: among the best winemakers in Pic Saint Loup

ERMITAGE DU PIC SAINT LOUP: a future star from Languedoc, boosted by a growing appellation (Pic Saint Loup) and outstanding winemakers.

A magnificent terroir, vines respected since 1992 follinwing the principles of biodynamics, exemplary work in the cellar. The estate deserves "its place at the top of the hierarchy of producers of Pic Saint-Loup" (Guide RVF 2016, which states: "The estate reaches an enthusiastic level, which justifies the awarding of a second star this year").

Ermitage du Pic Saint Loup is located in the town of Saint Mathieu de Tréviers. Since its beginnings in the 1950s, the family estate is at the origin of the cooperative winery. Around 1970, the estate is looking for more quality and they plant syrah grape variety, but always bring it to the cooperative cellar. It is only in 1990 when the the three Ravaille brothers settle that they start bottling at the estate, with all the quality research choices that go with this decision. The only objective is to produce wines that are the expression of this terroir to which they are so attached.

At l'Ermitage du Pic Saint Loup, the balance of the wines is the result of the association of noble grape varieties (grenache, syrah, mourvedre) and a terroir with multiple facets. First of all the soils are very diversified: pebbles, gravel, clay limestone, limestones (soft or hard depending on its origin). Regarding the climate, Pic Saint Loup is not an AOC for nothing: the famous thermal amplitudes so marked (very hot days and very cool nights) confer great aromatic qualities to the grapes.

The harvest is of course manual, and carried out in the cool hours of the morning. The yields are very low, following an excellent holding of the vines throughout the year. The vinification temperatures are controlled (even if the maceration times are reduced). Native yeasts are used for fermentation, and no input is used, apart from a few milligrams of sulfur at bottling time to allow the wine to be transported without being damaged. Racking is regular and there is no filtration to stress the wines, only decanting is used. The vinification of each plot is separated, and the blending take place afterwards.

"Tour de Pierre" and "Sainte Agnes" are, in our opinion, the most representative not only of the excellent regularity but also of the excellent value for money of the estate. The ultra-concentrated "Guilhem Gaucelm" cuvee, produced exclusively in excellent vintages and in small quantities, deserves many years of patience to reveal its full complexity.