Bonjour Hermitage

For wine lovers of the Syrah grape variety, the Hermitage Hill located in southeastern France is seen by many as the spiritual home of the Syrah grape variety. The Hermitage Hill is located just behind the community of Tain-l'Hermitage (commonly known as Tain), which is located on the left bank of the river Rhône in the French department of Drôme. Tain is home to a large number of wineries, including Maison M. Chapoutier, Caves de Tain, and Paul Jaboulet Âiné.

On the opposite side of the Rhone River is the community of Tournon-sur-Rhône, in the department of Ardèche. High above Tournon-sur-Rhône is a great view that includes Tournon-sur-Rhône itself, the Rhone River, Tain, and of course the Hermitage Hill. It was from that viewpoint that this photo was taken.

I was staying down right beside the Rhone, so to get up to the viewpoint I started hiking the Sentier des Tours (Tower Trail) at 5 am. Of course, I was hauling the specialized equipment needed to create a VAST ultra-high-resolution image, so my pace was steady but not quick. In the end, I made the journey in about 40 minutes and arrived before sunrise which happened at 5:53 am. This image is created from the second set of images I captured while up above Tournon-sur-Rhône. The first set was a wider view that included more of the Hermitage Hill. However, low clouds blocked the sun at that time. Once the sun rose above the low cloud bank, the view captured in the second set of images was spectacular, with all the rooftops of both towns in the foreground and the base of the Hermitage Hill leading off to the left beyond Tain all bathed in an orange glow.

Photo Information: A very high-resolution photograph taken at Tournon-sur-Rhône, a commune in the Ardèche department of southern France. It is one of the most populous communes in the Ardèche department.

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