92 Robert Parker - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

"The top-notch 2006 Ermitage La Sizeranne boasts an opaque ruby/purple color along with a sweet bouquet of black raspberries, creme de cassis, acacia flowers, crushed rocks, and subtle wood. Full-bodied, rich, and broad with moderate tannin, good acidity, and a long finish, the 2006 will benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age, and keep for 15+ years." 92 Points - Robert Parker

"A bright, juicy style, with forward raspberry and boysenberry fruit backed by sweet spice and fruitcake hints. The solid, juicy finish has a good graphite edge. Drink now through 2016. 350 cases imported." 91 Points - Wine Spectator

"Bright ruby. Wild, expressive aromas of dark berries, incense and raw meat, with a smoky undertone. Sweet, rather primary cherry and berry skin flavors pack a serious punch and are braced by dusty tannins. Finishes sweet and clinging. This will repay aging." 90 Points - Josh Raynolds - International Wine Cellar

VITICULTURE:
"Our Hermitage « Monier de la Sizeranne » grows on different types of soil, from West to East :
- « les Bessards » : Granite origin. It forms the "soul" of a good Hermitage wine
- « le Méal » : Old alluvial terrace, with a lot of gravels and rolled pebbles, more or less chalky
- « les Greffieux » : Limon with rolled stones.
Hand harvesting at optimal maturity. -Winemaker

VINIFICATION:
"The grapes ferment in open wooden vats after total destemming. Two daily treadings ensure a good extraction of the tannins. The temperature of fermentation varies between 26 and 32°C."

"Maturing takes place in oak casks, of which one third is new. Several rackings permit a slow and natural clarification process. This wine is unfiltered and unfined." -Winemaker

ESTATE:
"Fac & Spera, “Do & Hope”, is the Maison Chapoutier’s motto and this is the philosophy behind our single vineyard selections that are the result of the selection from one particular plot. Here, the winemaker lets the terroir express itself unfettered to achieve the conjunction of soil, climate and traditional know-how with exactitude. It is a snapshot of a grape, in a certain year, in a given terroir. These are exceptional wines, rare wines, created from our oldest vines. Here bio-dynamics comes fully into play." -Winery