Yann Chave

Yann Chave is a 20-hectare (50-acre) estate situated in the Crozes Hermitage appellation in the northern Rhône Valley. Its traditional red and white Crozes Hermitage wines are the cornerstones of the estate's portfolio, but the flagship of this regional collection is the Yann Chave Hermitage red.

Nicole and Bernard Chave established a winemaking business in Mercurol in 1970. Initially they cultivated just 1ha (3 acres) of vines, but by 1994 the estate had grown to encompass 7ha (17 acres) of Crozes Hermitage vineyards and 1ha (3 acres) of vineyards in Hermitage. Yann Chave joined his parent's winemaking business in 1996, and began an overhaul of the established vineyards and acquiring new vineyard plots. Yann was also responsible for the building of the estate's new winery in 2003.

The Syrah grapes destined for the Hermitage are harvested from 30-year-old vines planted in two southwest-facing plots in Beaume and Péléat. The wine ages in large oak barrels for approximately 12 months before bottling. The classic Yann Chave Crozes Hermitage is made from Syrah grapes cultivated in the villages of Mercurol, La Roche de Glun and Pont de l'Isère. The grapes are destemmed prior to vinification, fermented with natural yeasts and the wine is aged in tanks rather than oak, so as to not upset the wine's fruit character.

The red wine portfolio is completed with Le Rouvre, a red Crozes Hermitage produced exclusively from a single parcel of the estate's oldest Syrah vines. Vatting is extended to 21 days for this Crozes Hermitage expression and the wine ages in a combination of new, one-year-old and two-year-old oak barrels.

The single white Crozes Hermitage wine is a blend of 70 percent Marsanne and 30 percent Roussanne grapes grown on clay-limestone soils. Like its red counterpart, this Crozes Hermitage is aged in tanks to avoid any contamination from the oak.