Since Polydor, the family business has been passed from father to son, with Michel Chapoutier, who took over in the late 1970s at the end of a low period for the vineyards, currently in the hot seat. Michel has done much to cement the name and develop a range of fine, often single grape, wines known for precision and individuality.
In 1995, Michel introduced modern biodynamic practices and today all Chapoutier vineyards are farmed in this way. Michel, along with his brother Marc, saw a rapid transition and by the late 1980s the Chapoutier wines were among the most sought-after of French wines.
Today Chapoutier produces wines from a range of appellations, with the major Chapoutier Rhône vineyards located in the Hermitage, Cote Rôtie, Saint-Joseph, Crozes and Condrieu and at Châteauneuf.
The winery’s range of Rhône wines are grouped into four quality levels. The two basic levels are referred to as Découverte and Tradition, the intermediate level is Prestige and the fine wines are known as Fac & Spera; of which the majority are reds.
Fac & Spera, or “Do & Hope”, is also the Maison Chapoutier’s motto and the bio-dynamic philosophy behind the single vineyard selections. With these often extraordinary wines, the winemaker has allowed the terroir to speak for itself; it is the opportunity to present and express age old skills and a fine example of the Chaputier commitment to producing individual wines.
The current vintages, such as the 2010 Ermitage Rouge, l’Ermite, Chapoutier, already a powerful and masculine wine with extraordinary complexity and will only improve over the next couple of decades, which ensures we will be drinking and talking about this fine Wine Maison for generations to come.
