Barruol Lynch

Over forty years of doing business in France and Italy have given Kermit Lynch a level of expertise that few in the wine industry can boast. Countless hours with growers in some of the most famous vineyards and cellars of Europe have offered more than just a casual look at what it takes to be a great grower, let alone a great winemaker. Kermit Lynch was the first to champion the benefits of unfined and unfiltered wines, long before they had become fashionable. This belief is really a matter of taste, and the proof has always been in the glass, offering a purer expression of fruit and an unadulterated reflection of the terroir. Kermit’s conviction has been so strong over the years that he has been able to persuade even the most hard-headed vignerons to test his theories.

Long-term relationships with vignerons in every major wine growing region offer a tremendous array of opportunities. Every year, Kermit enjoys a creative collaboration with some growers to find the best of their selections. Together, they work towards creating a final blend that showcases the region in all its glory at a price point that is difficult to match.

CÔTE RÔTIE

CROZES-HERMITAGE

HERMITAGE

CÔTES DU RHÔNE BLANC & ROUGE

Louis Barruol is an indefatigable force in the Rhône. He is the fourteenth generation in his family to be making wine in this sixteenth-century domaine in Gigondas. On what was once the site of a Roman villa, Louis’ cellars show spectacular remains of old, Roman vinification vats carved into the limestone. Here, Louis works with different grape varietals from the Rhône, vinifying each parcel separately. He has recently taken to acting as a micro-négociant, working closely with top growers in the northern part of the region who still work with Sérine, an ancient version of Syrah. Producing only a few precious barrels of each cuvée, Louis is helping to save the authenticity and the identity of many great old Côte Rôtie parcels, and now those of Hermitage and Crozes, by keeping them out of the hands of the large, corporate négociants in the area. Together, he and Kermit blend our Northern Rhône wines and a Southern Côtes du Rhône Blanc and Rouge, from a selection of Louis’ purchases. Louis selects the best parcels he can find, and then Kermit shows up and either has a cuvée bottled unfiltered, or he blends to find the assemblage that satisfies his esthetic criteria.

Technical Information

Wine	Blend	Vine Age	Soil Type	Vineyard Area*
Côtes du Rhône Blanc	80% Marsanne, 20% Roussanne	25 years average	Alluvial with galets roulés	.4 ha
Côtes du Rhône Rouge	60% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre	40 years average	Limestone	1 ha
Saint-Joseph “Les Cochés”	Syrah	45 years	Granite	Varies
Crozes-Hermitage Les Tiercerolles	Syrah	30 - 50 years	Granite	Varies
Crozes-Hermitage Les Batits	Syrah	40 - 50 years	Sandy loam	Varies
Hermitage La Pierrelle	Syrah	30 - 50 years	Granite	Varies
Hermitage Blanc La Pierrelle	Marsanne	80 years	Granite	Varies
Côte Rôtie “Les Roses”	Syrah	30 - 50 years	Schist	Varies
Côte Rôtie “La Boisselée”	Syrah	30 - 50 years	Schist	Varies
Côte Rôtie “La Dorée”	Syrah	30 - 50 years	Schist	Varies
Côte Rôtie La Viaillere	Syrah	30-50 years	Schist	Varies
Côte Rôtie Nève	Syrah	30 years	Schist	Varies
* "ha" = hectares; one hectare equals roughly two and a half acres

VITICULTURE / VINIFICATION

• All wines are hand-harvested and sorted during harvest
• Maceration lasts 2 or 3 weeks
• Fermentation takes place in cement tank
• Wines are aged on average for 15 months in barrel
• No new barrels - barrels are 1 or 2 years old
• Wines are not filtered nor fined
• Grapes are not de-stemmed except the Crozes-Hermitage and Hermitage which are 90% de-stemmed

Côtes du Rhône Blanc :
• Fermentation takes place in old barrels that have see passage of 2 to 4 wines
• Full malolactic fermentation
• Aged for 5 months in barrels, then blended and bottled in the spring following the vintage
• Marsanne is from the village of Voiles, known for a rocky terroir and good soil drainage
• Roussanne is from sélection massale vines from the village of Tulette
• 2014 blend: 57% Marsanne, 14% Clairette, 14% Viognier, 10% Picpoul, 5% Bourboulenc
• 2013 blend: 80% Marsanne, 20% Roussanne

Côtes du Rhône Rouge :
• Hand harvested
• Grapes are sourced from small parcels on slopes around Vinsobres
• Grapes are co-fermented in a single cement tank
• Wine aged in cement tank for 12 months before bottling in September
• Not fined or filtered

Hermitage Blanc La Pierrelle
• Pressed and fermented in Burgundian barrels
• Wine is not racked, fined, or filtered before bottling

Hermitage Rouge La Pierrelle
• The lieu-dit La Pierrelle lies at the top of the hill of Hermitage, facing south-southwest, with a granite soil and galet stones
• The name, Pierrelle, refers to stones (pierre in French), and the stoney nature of the vineyard

Côte Rôties:
• 2011, 2013, 2014 Nève is a blend of the lieu-dit Nève, located on the Côte Brune
• 2011 “La Dorée” is a blend of the lieu-dit Le Plomb
• 2010 “Les Roses” is a blend of the lieux-dits Buffin, Brosse-Champin, and Fongeant
• 2014 “La Boisselée” is a blend of 5 barrels: 2 from from lieu-dit Besset, 2 from lieu-dit Semons, and 1 from lieu-dit Plomb
• 2013 “La Boisselée” is 100% from the lieu-dit Le Plomb
• 2012 “La Boisselée” is a blend of 8 barrels. 2 barrels from lieu-dit Besset (100% whole cluster), with the lieux-dits La Viallere, Le Plomb, and Brosse-Champin
• 2010 “La Boisselée” is a blend of the lieux-dits Le Plomb, Nève, La Viallere, and Champin
• 2010, 2013, 2014 La Viallere is a blend of the lieu-dit La Viallere, located on the Côte Brune
• 2009 “Les Roses” is a blend of the lieux-dits Fongeant and Rozier
• 2009 “La Boisselée” is a blend of the lieux-dits Labrosses and Champin
• 2009 “La Dorée” is a blend of the lieux-dits Viaillere and Champin