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Tasting notes
At first, notes of black fig, chocolate, leather and cured tobacco come to mind. Yet there's also a primordial character: undergrowth, charred meat, blood and iron. This is rich and powerful but balanced all the same, with wonderful intensity and depth. The sort of wine that's best drunk on the coldest of winter nights, sitting by a fire, reading Dracula or Frankenstein . (JRL)
Critic scores
Average Score
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
From 4.6 ha on a 45-degree, 'damn hot slope with no Atlantic influence'. 80% Marsanne, 20% Roussanne. Yields are low thanks to short pruning. 24-hour debourbage, 80% oak, 20% stainless steel. Goes through malo. Quite a shock, tasting this straight after 2017 Nahe Rieslings. It's so rich and powerful! (Look at that alcohol...) Clotted cream and peaches. Rich and swirling. Plump but not fat, broad and curved and voluptuous but not without grace. Feels very warm and quite loose knit, verging on flabby, but not quite, thanks mostly to the pronounced pithy bitterness on the finish. Massive drama and statement. (TC)
Just an incredible Hermitage in every sense, the 2017 Hermitage reminds me of the 2016 yet on steroids (or maybe a more finesse-driven example of the 2015?). Revealing a deep, saturated purple color as well as a stunning nose of red and black currants, kirsch, Asian spices, cured meats, ground pepper, and Acacia flowers, it shows more classic Chave minerality with time in the glass, and if this doesn't put a smile on your face, I don't know what will. These all carry to a full-bodied, powerful, yet seamless wine that has the sunny, extroverted style of the vintage yet still packs incredible mid-palate depth, ripe, polished tannins, no hard edges, and one hell of an incredible finish. It's going to be relatively accessible by this cuvée’s standards and offer considerable pleasure in its youth, yet also have 30-40 years of longevity.
Saturated ruby. Displays expansive aromas of ripe blackberry, cherry liqueur, licorice, candied flowers and olive, plus spice and mineral nuances that build as the wine opens up. At once weighty and energetic in character, offering densely packed black/blue fruit preserve flavors and hints of violet candy, star anise, black tea and smoky minerals. Finishes juicy, lively and strikingly long, with repeating spice and floral notes and steadily building tannins.
About the producer
The Chaves have been growing grapes in the Northern Rhône since 1481. Jean-Louis Chave is the 16th generation to head up the family domaine, having taken over from his father in 1992.