2003 Hermitage Les Rocoules
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Tasting notes
Sorrel's 2003 Hermitage Blanc les Rocoules is sensational stuff. Thick, unctuous and made in a pedal-to-the-metal style, it offers lots of almond paste, white currants, honeysuckle and white-flower notes to go with tons of glycerol, full-bodied richness, huge concentration and a blockbuster, heady finish. Harvested early in September (which is late in this vintage), and seeing malo in barrel, I'm sure some will find this over the top, but I love it. It's still fresh and lively at age 12, and, given its lofty alcohol and serious concentration, it should have another couple decades of longevity.
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
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Sorrel’s flagship white is the Hermitage Les Rocoules. The blockbuster 2003 Hermitage Les Rocoules is so opulent, thick, and honeyed that one would think it should be drunk over the next 4-5 years for fear of oxidation and collapse, but that may not be the case due to the wine’s remarkable concentration and high alcohol (15%). A liqueur of mineral note interwoven with honeyed peaches and citrus emerge from this dense, thick, exceptional white. Already evolved, it can be drunk early in life, but I wouldn’t discount the aging potential of this massive, dry white. Importer: JAO Wine Imports, McLean, VA.
(14. 7% alcohol) Deeper golden-yellow color. Spicy yellow fruits and clove on the nose. At once firmer and more reticent on the palate; fat but less obviously alcoholic. Flavors of peach and spice. Broad and large-scaled, but finer and firmer on the back, conveying more of an impression of shape.