The hill is a fragment of granite that the Rhône cut off from the mountains of the Ardèche. The appellation lies mainly in Tain-l'Hermitage and runs slightly into Crozes-Hermitage and Larnage. It was recognised in 1937, after a court in Valence first granted the name in June 1936. The name comes from hermits recorded on the hill from 1598. The slope was once called Saint-Christophe, like the chapel at its top.

The slopes face due south, sheltered from the north wind. The west of the hill, where Les Bessards lies, is granite with gneiss and mica schist, and is planted mostly to Syrah. Further east lie old alluvial terraces, topped in places by loess. The white grapes, mostly Marsanne, are concentrated on the more calcareous soils. Le Méal stands on old glacial river deposits with a stony topsoil, above Les Greffieux at the foot of the hill.

Red Hermitage must contain at least 85 percent Syrah, with up to 15 percent Marsanne or Roussanne among the vines. The reds are deep in colour, powerful and tannic, with ripe fruit, spice and undergrowth, and are built for long ageing. The whites smell of white flowers, honey and spice, and turn towards toasted almond with age. It is the only northern Rhône appellation whose reputation was built as much on its whites as on its reds.

M. Chapoutier, based in Tain, was the largest landholder on the hill in 2024, with 34 of its 134 hectares. Paul Jaboulet Aîné, founded in Tain in 1834, bought the Saint-Christophe chapel in 1919, and the house's red Hermitage La Chapelle bears the same name.

The wines above are the Hermitage wines in the cellar. See also Saint-Joseph across the river, Cornas to the south, or the full range of Rhône Valley wines.