2018 Hermitage Ligne de Crete

The vibrancy of the elderberry aroma on the nose of this Hermitage masterpiece is breathtaking, the palate amazingly concentrated and incredibly focused. A wealth of super-fine tannins and intense, stony minerality are married to the pure berry fruit at the extremely long and precise finish. The fourth vintage of this wine and one of the high points of 2018 in the Rhone! Drink or hold.

I was also able to taste a small vertical of the Hermitage Les Grandes Vignes from this estate for this report. Certainly the biggest, richest wine in the lineup, the 2018 Hermitage Les Grandes Vignes has a vivid purple hue as well as sensational notes of blueberries, cassis, violets, crushed stone, spring flowers, and camphor. It's full-bodied and flawlessly balanced, with ripe, silky tannins and an incredible finish. It's already offering pleasure today yet has another 25+ years of longevity ahead of it. Easily my favorite in the lineup, this incredible Hermitage is going to flirt with perfection at maturity.

While I've had multiple looks at previous vintages, this is my first review of the 2018 Hermitage Ligne de Crete Les Grandes Vignes. Inky in hue, it boasts powerful, brooding aromas that include hints of hardwood charcoal, dark berries, licorice, crushed stone and pencil shavings. Full-bodied and almost painfully intense, it's a huge, mouthfilling wine that seems capable of aging up to three decades. Rich, supple and creamy in texture, yet possessing remarkable length and retronasal nuance, it has to rank up there with some of the Hermitage hill's classics from other, more renowned producers. It certainly deserves a seat at that table and may be a candidate for a perfect score in the future.