2004 M. Chapoutier Ermitage Le Meal

Dark red. Intense cherry and smoked meat aromas, with deep espresso and black cardamom accents. Brooding but sweet, with slowly unfolding red and dark berry flavors verging on liqueur-like. "This site got a lot of sun," noted commercial director Morel. Powerful, dense and long on the finish, with a potent lingering blackcurrant quality. Give this some time.

All of the single vineyard Ermitages turned out as good as I had hoped, possibly even better. In short they are among the strongest wines one could hope for in this vintage. The 2004 Ermitage Le Meal boasts rich creme de cassis fruit, medium to full body, loads of licorice, moderate tannin, and good acidity. Give it 3-4 years of cellaring and drink it over the following 15-16 years. Robert Parker, Wine Advocate # 170.

Showing signs of maturity, the 2004 Ermitage le Meal is an elegant, pretty and seamless Hermitage that offers up plenty of dried flowers, dried spices, leather and both blackberry and raspberry-like fruit characteristics. It's fully mature and I'd opt for drinking bottles over the coming 7-8 years. eRobertParker.com.September, 2015