Hermitage/Ermitage
Behind the town of Tain l’Hermitage on the eastern bank of the Rhone is the Hill of Hermitage, acknowledged as the birthplace of Syrah. Historically, Hermitage or as some locals and Domaines refer to it “Ermitage” has always been seen as one of the greatest in France. In the early 19th Century Andre Jullien, embarked on a major project to map all the known vineyard regions and cited in his first publication in 1816, with a second in 1822, that the three finest vineyards were Chateau Lafite, Romanee Conti and the Hill of Hermitage.
Hermitage is small appellation covering just over 135ha and to put its entire production into context, Chateau Lafite is around 105ha. For all those who know the wines of Hermitage and Syrah-lovers alike, we have something for everyone from the greatest estates such as Jean-Louis Chave, Michel Chapoutier, Guigal and Jaboulet (Hermitage La Chapelle). The range includes rare gems along with wines offering terrific value given their quality with many in magnificent large formats.
Chapoutier
1991 Ermitage Le Pavillon, 1.5L Magnums €750 – 4 available
A touch of oak, smoke, dark fruits, tobacco, wet soil, and coffee on the nose. Powerful, big, full bodied, rich and deep, the wine still shows just a hint of oak in the incredibly long, mouth filling finish. Believe it or not, I think it needs more time to develop to its full potential. This is really such a super wine. 99pts Jeff Leve, Wine cellar Insider Jan/2017
2005 Ermitage Cuvee de L’Oree Blanc 6L Methuselah €1,300 – 1 available
Deep, rich and full-throttle, yet still elegant and focused, the 2005 Ermitage Cuvée de l’Oree is 100% Marsanne from the Les Murets lieu-dit and was brought up all in demi-muids. Offering off the hook notes of quince, honeysuckle, liquid rock, orange blossom and sautéed peach, this beauty hits the palate with full-bodied richness, notable freshness and purity, and a crazy long finish. White wine doesn’t get much better, and this beauty will have another two to three decades of longevity. 99pts Wine Advocate Mar/2016
2005 Ermitage L’Ermite Blanc 1.5L Magnum €530 – 6 available
Very rich, but racy and well-focused, with a great minerally underpinning to the fresh butter, chamomile, yellow apple, anise, jasmine rice, hazelnut and fresh chanterelle notes. Long, creamy finish. 97pts Wine Spectator Jun/2008
Chave
1990 Hermitage €1,150 – 1 available
Iron, rocks, stones, flowers, olive tapenade and peppery cherries are all over the place. The wine is rich, balanced, elegant and fresh. Mouth-filling and light on its feet the sweet, ripe red cherries show a stunning level of purity in the finish that clocks in over 50 seconds. This is close to peak, where it should remain for 15-20 or even 25 years. 99pts Jeff Leve, Wine cellar Insider Feb/2019
1996 Hermitage €1,800/cs 6 btls – 2 cases available
A late vintage that’s compared to 2013 by Jean-Louis, yet that carried more crop, the 1996 Hermitage is a juicy, medium-bodied effort that’s ready to go. Giving up classic herbed game, bacon fat and sweet fruit, it should continue to evolve gracefully, but there’s no reason to hold off here. 91pts Wine Advocate Aug/2014
Delas
2014 Hermitage Domaine des Tourettes 3L Double Magnum €200 – 3 available
A beautiful 2014 that shares plenty of similarities to its big brother, the 2014 Hermitage Domaine des Tourettes is medium to full-bodied, rich and nicely concentrated, with plenty of tannin, integrated acidity and loads of black and blue fruits, graphite and crushed herbs. It plays in the narrower frame that all of the 2014s have, but is a terrific wine that I suspect will have two decades of longevity as well. 92pts Wine Advocate Dec/2017
2016 Hermitage Domaine des Tourettes €240/cs 6 btls – 10 cases available
2016 Hermitage Domaine des Tourettes 1.5L Magnum €255/cs 3 Mags – 4 cases available
Leading off the two Hermitage releases, the 2016 Hermitage Domaine Des Tourettes comes from the Bessards (the bottom part) and les Grandes Vignes, which are both granite soils. Black raspberries, cassis, burning embers, saddle leather and graphite characteristics all emerge from this opulent, concentrated, impressively textured Hermitage. It has plenty of structure, yet the tannins are sweet, and I suspect it will be approachable at a reasonable age. 94pts Jeb Dunnock Nov/2019
2017 Hermitage Les Bessards €660/cs 6 btls
2017 Hermitage Les Bessards 15L Magnum €690/cs 3 Mags
Archetypal Les Bessards, the Delas 2017 Hermitage Les Bessards boasts rich, deep cassis fruit accented by hints of crushed stone and pencil shavings. It’s full-bodied, ripe yet firm, with great energy, freshness and length on the spice-tinged finish. While relatively approachable young, it should age well for up to two decades. Tasted twice (once blind), with one bottle showing more peppery spice, red berries and cured-meat notes. 97pts Wine Advocate Dec/2019
Ferraton
2016 Ermitage Le Meal €570/cs 6 btls – 4 cases available
Lastly, the 2016 Ermitage Le Méal is the top wine from Ferraton, and rightly so, as it’s a magical wine in 2016. Rocking notes of black raspberries, blackberries, toasted spices, tapenade, and dry aged beef all emerge from the glass, and it hits the palate with a wealth of material yet stays balanced, layered, and seamless. It’s a sensational wine that’s up with the top wines of the vintage. Hats off to the team at Ferraton for this remarkable wine as well as their full line up of wines in 2016. 98pts Jeb Dunnock Dec/2018
Guigal
24x 2015 Ermitage Ex-Voto Rouge €1,260/cs 6 bottles – 4 cases available
Aged 36 months in new oak, the colossal 2015 Hermitage Ex Voto is up with the finest vintages of this cuvée to date and is certainly in the same ballpark as the 2009 and 2010. This deep, powerful, muscular Hermitage boasts a saturated purple color to go with its huge nose of crème de cassis, freshly crushed rocks, incense, charcoal, and spring flowers. Full-bodied, with good acidity and huge richness and density, it requires 5-7 years of cellaring and should drink well for 40+ years. 98pts Jeb Dunnock Dec/2018
24x 2015 Ermitage Ex-Voto Blanc €750/cs 6 bottles
The 2015 Hermitage Ex Voto Blanc is certainly in the same league as the 2009 and 2010, and it’s going to be interesting to compare these vintages over the coming 2-3+ decades. The 2015 has all the hallmarks of a great vintage with its huge bouquet of quince, toasted almonds, brioche, liquid rocks, and honeysuckle as well as touch of licorice. Sensationally concentrated, opulent, and multi-dimensional on the palate, it has bright acidity and an awesome sense of minerality that keep the wine chiseled and focused on the palate. It has the structure of a red wine and will keep for 4-5 decades. Bravo! 100pts Jeb Dunnuck Dec 2018
2016 Ermitage Ex-Voto Blanc €750/cs 6 bottles – 4 cases available
the 2016 Hermitage Ex Voto Blanc is brilliant, offering classic, powerful notes of Asian spices, toasted bread, acacia flowers, and crushed rocks as well as tons of quince and stone fruit notes. This beauty is full-bodied, multi-dimensional, and already impossible to resist. It’s going to evolve for 20-25 years or more. 97pts Jeb Dunnuck Nov 2019
Jaboulet
1985 Hermitage La Chapelle €1,290/cs 6btls – 2 cases available
One of the more finesse driven wines in the vertical, the 1985 Hermitage la Chapelle offered beautiful, complex notes of coffee beans, dried meats, potpourri and mint to go with a full-bodied, elegant and seamless feel on the palate. Following on the heels of the monster-sized ’89, it still stood out for its purity, fine tannin and length on the finish. It’s a beautiful wine drinking at point. 95pts Wine Advocate Sep/2015
All prices are in Euros and offered Ex Puligny Montrachet (excluding taxes and shipping)
All wines are offered subject to remaining unsold
