France · Rhône Valley

M. Sorrel

Marc Sorrel is one of Hermitage's most individual producers, farming just under 3 hectares of vines across the famous granite hill, including parcels on the Greffieux and Le Méal lieux-dits that contribute to his flagship Le Gréal cuvée. A former math teacher who took over from his father Henri in 1982, Marc Sorrel produces wines of uncommon concentration and longevity from Syrah and Marsanne in tiny quantities. Le Gréal, a blend of Hermitage rouge sourced from Greffieux and Le Méal, is the estate's crown jewel: 88 lots at auction averaging $315 per bottle, with the 2005 vintage most traded and top prices reaching $1,722. Les Rocoules, the estate's white Hermitage from Marsanne, averages $345 across 11 lots, with the 2007 vintage generating the highest prices. The standard Hermitage rouge averages $258 and Crozes-Hermitage averages $201. At $290 average across 161 lots with a ceiling of $1,722, Sorrel occupies a distinctive niche: too small to be widely known, but consistently producing wines of top-tier Hermitage quality that reward patient collectors. The estate's output is estimated at 15,000–20,000 bottles annually, making availability at auction genuinely constrained.