2005 Hermitage
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Tasting notes
Deep, rich and concentrated, the youthful and classically built 2005 Hermitage is a fair click better than the '06 (which isn't always a given as a lot of 2006s have more charm and texture than their 2005 siblings). It offers textbook graphite, toasted spice, crushed rock and dark fruits in its full-bodied, layered and structured profile. It's still youthful and is just starting to show some secondary nuances. I'd happily drink it anytime over the coming 10-15 years.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Josh Raynolds
More reviews and scores
Gaining depth and structure with each tasting, the 2005 E. Guigal Hermitage is a dense, serious wine that is best suited for the patient consumers with a cold cellar. Aged for 48 months in barrel (the prior review has the time in barrel listed incorrectly), the wine shows its upbringing with a dense, chocolaty bouquet of graphite, smoke meats, and coffee bean that’s supported by thick, darker styled fruits that become more and more apparent with air. There’s lots of wood showing currently, but this has the fruit to handle it. Fantastically concentrated and rich on the palate, with firm structure, beautifully ripe fruit, and a classic, long finish, this needs a solid 4-6 years in the cellar to integrated its components, and should have a very long drink window.
Deep ruby. Deeply pitched aromas of cherry compote, potpourri and Asian spices, with an exotic note of singed orange. Concentrated but surprisingly lively, with densely packed dark berry flavors and a hint of bitter chocolate. The floral note comes back strongly on the impressively long, smoky finish. Guigal says that this will age slowly.