Excluding the anomaly of the less than 4-hectare Château Grillet, Hermitage, with its 137-ha, is the smallest Rhône appellation. Of that, only about 25 percent (37-ha) is dedicated to white wine. Guigal acquired parcels on the Hermitage hill about 25 years ago when they purchased the de Vallouit Domaine and the J.L. Grippat Domaine, from which they make both a red and white estate-bottled Hermitage, both labeled “Ex Voto.” For this white, the grapes come mostly (80-90 percent) from the Les Murets lieu-dit, with its 100-year-old vines and its alluvial and rocky soil with the remainder coming from L’Hermite lieu-dit with its sandy limestone. The blend is typically 80-90 percent Marsanne and Roussanne and varies with the vintage. Guigal produces Ex Voto only in the best years. In the other years, the wine goes into Guigal’s “regular” Hermitage, so savvy consumers know to snap up that bottling in those vintages. Guigal’s 2022 white Ex Voto shows why white Hermitage is revered. Exotic aromas leap from the glass yet are not flamboyant. There’s great depth and weight without a trace of heaviness. The most impressive aspect of this wondrous white is its waxy sublime texture. Guigal vinified and aged it in new oak for 30 months, but you would never know it because of its seamless integration. Philippe remarks and notes that Jean-Louis Chave agrees, “We will drink our reds before our whites.” So, find room in your cellar if you have one!
98 Michael Apstein – May 27, 2026