Crozes-Hermitage stretches in a semicircle north, east and south around Tain l'Hermitage and the
Hermitage hill. The area is quite large and heterogeneous, and the wine qualities are correspondingly high. Although some of the best wines certainly come from the rather flat region in the south, the best
terroirs are undoubtedly in the north, where the
granite soil of the
Hermitage continues, and the south to south-western sites can have conditions that are at least similar to the legendary
Hermitage hillside.
Limestone islands to the southeast of this also produce remarkable white wines.
