2015 Hermitage Blanc Ex Voto
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Tasting notes
The 2015 Ermitage Ex Voto Blanc is certainly in the same league as the 2009 and 2010, and it’s going to be interesting to compare these vintages over the coming 2-3+ decades. The 2015 has all the hallmarks of a great vintage with its huge bouquet of quince, toasted almonds, brioche, liquid rocks, and honeysuckle as well as touch of licorice. Sensationally concentrated, opulent, and multi-dimensional on the palate, it has bright acidity and an awesome sense of minerality that keep the wine chiseled and focused on the palate. It has the structure of a red wine and will keep for 4-5 decades. Bravo! The big news at the Guigal estate is the purchase of Domaine de Nalys in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The family has always wanted an estate in the South, and Nalys is an unrealized treasure trove of awesome terroir and old vines, both of which I’ve no doubt will be maximized by this talented family. In addition, the former winemaker at Paul Jaboulet Aîné, Jacques Desvernois, has joined the team, and while it’s not clear exactly what his role will be, I suspect he will largely lead the charge at Domaine de Nalys. Either way, Desvernois is an incredible talent and can only add to what is already a well-oiled machine. As to the wines reviewed in this report, I was able to taste multiple vintages of each of the cuvées and have listed the wines by cuvée as opposed to by vintage, which is how we tasted through the wines.
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Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate
The Wine Advocate
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Since the 2016 hasn't been bottled yet, I was offered a second look at the in-bottle 2015 Ermitage Ex Voto Blanc, which I rated 94+? last year. This year, it's a bit more open, showing toasty-nutty notes of almonds and hazelnuts layered over intense melon and pear fruit. This full-bodied powerhouse shows great texture, spice and length. Although drinkable now, I've no doubt it will be singing with the cheese course in 15 years.
(aged for 30 months in 100% new oak barrels) Limpid yellow-gold. Smoke- and mineral-tinged orchard and pit fruit and honey aromas show outstanding clarity, and a sexy floral element emerges slowly. Intense, palate-staining pear, peach nectar and tangerine flavors show superb energy and complicating notes of anise, iodine and nougat. Fleshes out and becomes spicier on the mineral-driven finish, which hangs on with outstanding tenacity and a lingering floral quality.