Wednesday, January 13, 2021 - Tale of two '90 Hermitages. Decided to open a couple of old Hermitages for a cage match on a cold New England Winters night. '90 Chapoutier Sizeranne vs. '90 Sorrel Hermitage (regular bottling).
Color/App: light/medium ruby core -> diffuse fully mature garnet/bricked rim; just a bit lighter than its counterpart, the '90 Chapoutier Sizeranne. Much better nose here though, showing leather, barnyard, cherries, roasted meat and iron -- certainly more intense than the Chapoutier. Palate also more expressive with olives, cherries, leather, forest floor and savoury spices. Good depth of flavor and finish though it did start to tire after about 3 hours (while the Chapoutier continued on). Amazing how well these base-level Hermitages were made (granted, in a great vintage) years ago. Lovely wine and delicious to enjoy with venison stroganoff. The winner by a nose . . . .