Ferraton Père & Fils
2020 Rhone Release
Ferraton Père & Fils is a wine producer located in Hermitage in the northern Rhône. It is best known for its red wines made from Syrah and its white wine made from Marsanne and Roussanne.
Jean Ferraton founded the estate in 1946 with a few tiny parcels of vines in Hermitage and Crozes-Hermitage. His son Michel extended the vineyard holdings and built the winery on the quayside at Tain l'Hermitage. In 1998, the Ferraton family partnered with Chapoutier, who provided expertise and financial backing. Ferraton has since been run as a joint venture between the two companies, with Samuel Ferraton back at the helm after a period of reduced involvement following a 2002 motorcycle crash.
The negociant side of the business produces wines from most of the other northern Rhône appellations, including specific lieu-dits in Côte-Rôtie and Cornas.
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2020 Cote-Rotie Lieu-Dit ‘Montmain’
6 x 75cl - £220 IB
(Pre-arrival July 2022)
4 Stars - John Livingstone-Learmonth (DrinkRhone.com)
(Cask) very dark robe; the bouquet is lined with plentiful black cherry fruit, has a calm sweetness, ripeness, the fruit coming with detail. The palate rustles with notes of dried herbs, a vegetal tone through it, holds sparky content, rocky tannins. It’s rather raw, certainly upright for now, holds blackberry fruit that takes the middle ground. It will fuse gradually, becoming softer and more continuous and has the juice to allow that. Its tenor is close-knit, for now, not very revealing. From 2026, decant it. 2044-46.
July 2021
2020 Saint-Joseph Rouge Lieu-Dit ‘Bonneveau’
6 x 75cl - £125 IB
(Pre-arrival July 2022)
4.5 Stars - John Livingstone-Learmonth (DrinkRhone.com)
(Cask) very dark robe; the nose is expressive, sings with a clear tone of shiny blackcurrant fruit, the interior cool, like a cave beyond the sun of the beach. There’s a hint of earthiness. The palate has a suave feel, coasts along well on its trim dark berry fruits, cassis prominent. The tannins have a little welcome tension, iron fusing, straight off the rock face, and are accompanied by discreet rose petal moments towards the finish. This always gives real local ID, and is a [wine that reflects a sense of terroir and the vintage style]. It’s close-knit, knuckled for now, but offers future complexity via a series of details: try from 2026, no hurry, decanting required. 2043-45 .
July 2021
2020 Saint-Joseph Blanc ‘Les Oliviers’
6 x 75cl - £155 IB
(Pre-arrival March 2023)
4 Stars - John Livingstone-Learmonth (DrinkRhone.com)
Full yellow colour; the bouquet speaks of the South, has a glazed fruit & white raisin make-up, ginger and oak in the mix. It sits quietly, hasn’t yet emerged. The palate gives a suave texture, ample coating, with carbonic gas playing around. It’s full in an orderly way, and retains its shape into a well furnished finish, petrol notes there, along with vanilla from its oak. Apricot and peach feature in the flavour. The texture wins marks for pleasure, the gras neat here. 13.5°. From mid-2021, decant it. 2029-31.
Jan 2021
2020 Crozes-Ermitage Rouge ‘Le Grand Courtil’
6 x 75cl - £120 IB
(Pre-arrival March 2023)
4.5 Stars - John Livingstone-Learmonth (DrinkRhone.com)
(Cask) very dark robe; the nose is wide, resolute, well organised, together, carries an appealing depth of dark cherry fruits, with a few floral pings to brighten it, lend detail. It’s going along a good path. The palate has a soaked fruits flavour, starts with a really furnished wave of content, layers of flavour that last well. The tannins are handsome, ripe, fit in well. This is an interesting, potentially complex Crozes red, a great relief that it’s from a less solar year, so suave, rather slinky appeal can appear on the agenda. There’s a nice nudge of mineral on the aftertaste. From 2023-24, decant it. 2042-44.
July 2021
2020 Crozes-Ermitage Blanc ‘Le Grand Courtil’
6 x 75cl - £120 IB
(Pre-arrival July 2022)
4 Stars - John Livingstone-Learmonth (DrinkRhone.com)
(Vat) full yellow robe; the bouquet has scale, a prolonged aroma of grilling, white raisin, toasting, orange marmalade. It’s a solid opening. The palate attacks brightly, bears thick richness, rolls on that, a near voluptuous display of white fruits, has a note of Riesling petrol, with orange notes late on. The shape is red wine-like, the length similar. There’s plenty of action here, a wine for la table, very much so, up to full flavoured dishes. From spring 2023, decanting advised. 2033-35.
July 2021
2020 Ermitage Rouge ‘Les Dionnieres’
6 x 75cl - £265 IB
(Pre-arrival March 2023)
4.5 Stars - John Livingstone-Learmonth (DrinkRhone.com)
(Cask) very dark robe; the bouquet is intense, smoky, rocky, has a gunflint air with cooked fruit, plum-prune leanings. It carries a sense of its place. The palate is intricate, well wrapped together, emphasizes a mineral line, has spark in its delivery, and a fine accumulation of powdered tannins towards the finish, a note of violet in the mineral there. This is silky wine, shaping up very promisingly, set to be a Dionnières [that really reflects the sense of terroir, and gives] real access to its soils. From 2026, decant it. 2047-49.
July 2021
2020 Ermitage Blanc ‘Le Reverdy’
6 x 75cl - £265 IB
(Pre-arrival March 2023)
4.5 Stars - John Livingstone-Learmonth (DrinkRhone.com)
(Cask) attractive yellow robe; the bouquet is a box of tricks – well varied, has grilling, lemon-ginger, nutty airs, comes with solid depth, potential. The palate is tightly woven, bears stylish, firm richness, stretches out well, runs with a sure hand into an extended close. This has the authority of the hill, is a high grade Hermitage blanc, with freshness, elegant body, refined juice to allow it nourishment for the future. Serve in a large balloon glass. From 2026, decant it. 2044-46.
July 2021
2020 Cornas Lieu-Dit ‘Patou’
6 x 75cl - £145 IB
(Pre-arrival July 2022)
4.5 Stars - John Livingstone-Learmonth (DrinkRhone.com)
(Cask) very deep robe; the bouquet conforms absolutely to the sunny ripeness of Patou, gives a thick aroma of blackberry coulis, with notes of roses and China tea. The palate is stocky, close-knit, continues well, closely sealed together, a few outlying inkspots, traces of iron, towards the very long finish, where the juice runs well. The tannins have their own rather svelte charge, and the finish is on cool fruit, blue fruit. This will gradually draw together, is spirited, vigorous Patou, the oaking needing time to infuse and settle. From 2025-26, decant it. 2045-47.
July 2021
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Notes kindly provided by John Livingstone-Learmonth (DrinkRhone.com)
2020 is a very good vintage in the Northern Rhône. It is seductive, full of silken pleasure, and offers wines that will grace any table; wines that are set to show well from an early age. As such, it is quite the opposite of the brooding, tucked up, muscular 2019s.
The 2020 summer was long, hot and very dry. Not much difference from 2019 there. Harvest dates were extremely precocious, close to a record, perhaps only beaten by 2003 in some cases.