2012 Chave Hermitage Collection (1983-2018)
Market price
Buying options
Tasting notes
Tasted blind. Polished crimson. Ripe fruit – especially riper than the previous wine of this pair tasted blind (Trinity Hill, Homage Syrah 2018). Sweet start but by no means heavy. Limpid and savoury on the end. More emphatic than the previous wine and thoroughly noble in its intentions. There is some complexity here and it will grow into a very fine wine indeed. (JR)
Critic scores
Jeb Dunnuck
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Surprising oak scent on the nose, lots of vanilla and rich spice. After Clape Cornas 2012, this seems very tame and mild. It isn't the most energising Chave I've tasted, but it also has the substance to give more with time. (RH)
Stunning nose, plump forest fruit, a touch of reductive peppery character and violets, smoke – so inviting. Rounded palate with firm seductive tannins, opulent but also with such precision and detail. Already drinking well, despite its firm nature – excellent acidity keeps it driven towards the meaty, biltong- and forest-fruit-laden finish – very long. (AC)
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.