Wine Bros: A Study of Syrah (Cowford Chophouse): This is one of my favorite years for the Rhone although it gets almost no love anywhere else from what I can tell. There’s a balance and power to it always though in the best wines and this is one of my favorites. The Chapoutier that I am really excited to drink. There’s some berries and bell pepper and almost a nice classic restraint to the style. Drinking very well. Opened and double-decanted and it really does seem to work. Nice wine.
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Wine Night at TCC (Timuquana Country Club): Opened and decanted for sediment and then rebottled. This was not showing quite as well as the bottle opened a few weeks ago despite this being a magnum and that being a 750. There is the elegance that the L'Ermite vineyard brings. A bit more precision to the wine than the others in this flight which came across as perhaps a touch more acid.
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Commanderie des Costes du Rhone - Fall 2022 Intronization (Aquavit): Yum yum yum. I'm not really an Hermitage person and not as devout to Chapoutier as many Rhone folks are and yet I just love these L'Ermites. It's got some great freshness and a bit of game and yet more in a refined manner. Very pretty in style. Drinking nicely now but with many years left.
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Palate: cherry, dried oregano, leather; medium finish of leather, pepper, rose, black tea, dried oregano; dry; medium- body; medium tannins; medium acidity
Overall thoughts: Somewhat rustic, with average quality tannins that build on the palate. A bit lighter overall, and I wouldn't mind if it was more expressive. Still, this is a great wine.
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Might to medium body. Youthful dark robe. Good balance. Dark fruits that are subtle, in fact a bit lacking on the fruit. Slightly tight on the finish, suggesting this needs a bit more time in the bottle.
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The nose is charcoal and sweet Indian spices. Mouth feel envelops every taste bud possible with savoury Indian spices, masculine and musky. Long lingering finish. This wine is an experience, it’s drinking beautifully but has plenty of room to go
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Decanted briefly. High-toned and still a bit youthful with generous nose of roasted meats, smoky earth and dark fruit on the palate, long finish once it opened up with a few minutes of air. This continued to evolve over 90 minutes for better or worse. At its best, 96 points.
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smoky nose in the mouth savory fruit with prominent dark berries and a long acidic finish. mouthcoating and very round. superb pairing with local duck in a butter/anchovy sauce.
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(Blind tasting BYO) Full, deep nose of dark fruit and smoke. Extremely rich and potent. Perfectly developed. Dark fruit, black currant, pepper, ink and cedar. Very powerful. Bacon-fat but very elegant. Perfectly poised between Pauillac and Northern Rhône. Full, rich and complex palate. Generous and multi-layered. Austere and generous at the same time. Ripe tannins. Dark fruit, cedar, tobacco, cigarre, some barnyard maturity. But also a refreshing floweriness. A wine that confirms our tasting group's experience that Hermitage is not always easy to separate from rich and generous left bank Bdx. You have to detect the smoke, the white pepper and the bacon. But it's very easy to go wrong. A splendid wine! First growth class. Ready to go and enjoy for at least 10 more years.
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This is a beautiful wine that is drinking well now. 1 hr decant. Black fruit, meaty, smoky, lavender, with a nice dose of bacon bits on the nose. Nice acidity and an elegant finish that lasts and lasts! Wow!
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Lunch de Noël des anciens de C&S 2019: Mon offrande. Nez décevant, fruit noir discret, un peu de brets? La bouche est droite et minérale, avec de la fraîcheur et des tanins soyeux, les gens le trouvent serré. Il a la race du crû mais manque un peu de charme, surtout par rapport à une bouteille splendide prise il y a quelques années. Un beau vin, mais décevant vu sa réputation. 92 pts
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Tasted in double-blind fashion from a well-cellared magnum, this deep garnet wine left no doubt about its Northern Rhone origin. Still quite youthful in this format, it is effusively fragrant. Dark plum, blackberry, allspice, leather, cigar box, loam and braised meat aromas are followed by similar flavors on a medium-bodied palate. Freshly acidic and with nicely woven alcohol (listed as 13.5%), it wraps its flavors with silky-textured tannins and a modicum of well-integrated oak. Perhaps the most impressive attribute of this magnificent Syrah is its dense and layered middle palate, which glides to a finish that lingers on and on. Classic in quality in every sense, this is a joy to drink. Comparably cellared magnums will have substantial longevity. Drink now-2035.
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Decanted and served over cocktails. Silky, layered, and focused on the palate with seamless dark fruit and light minerality. Its quiet power evolves beautifully as it keeps improving and changing, bringing out berry liqueuer, chocolate, and roasted meats at times, all subtly interwoven with its perfect acid backbone. Really lovely wine showing exquisitely now.
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Decanted and served. I think it could have used more air to put on weight but it was delicious. Still youthful with blue and black fruit and noticeable oak.
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Wow nose! Mature, autumn leaves, savoury, in a great spot now, balanced and finessed, absolutely stunning wine with great inner beauty, ready but with many years left, my wotn with the 95 latour 95
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Big Meat and Serious Syrah on a gorgeous summer afternoon (Westport, CT): A bit tight for me on initial tasting, but with time in the glass it opened up a bit more. Dark fruits, very savory profile, not a lot of secondary development at this point - think this will continue to benefit from more time in the cellar.
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Big Meat and Serious Syrah (Westport, CT): Made me quite happy to know that these are really very good as we have quite a few resting in our cellar. Red raspberries. A bit of smoke and very well aged. One of my favorites. It's a bit brighter and lighter and more fruit forward than the Le Pavillons were.
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Nez assez classique, les tanins sont très fins, le vin assez puissant, de bonne longueur. C'est excellent. Il lui toutefois manquait l'éclat de la première bouteilles prise il y a quelques années. 92 pts
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Quick note from Dr Maxood's - drank from mag, meat-meat and more meat! Cured meats, raw, bacon smoke and steak tar tar, field flowers and garrigue, gravel, drinking young even though 17yrs old but normal for a mag. Delicious stuff.
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From a magnum. Pure, smoky, Syrah, in all its royal purple glory. Layered, compelling, and inflection changing, with tremendous lifting acids and luxurious dusty tannins. This bottle had the substance to age another fifteen to twenty years. 93-95.
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This is a big, savoury wine with great character. There are notes of leather, baked earth, blood plum, cassis and dried flowers. It has monumental structure but fruit weight that is commensurate with it. It is a powerful wine yet multifaceted and totally engaging.
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Dense, deep, dark and surly but unfurls nicely after you work plenty of air into it. The nose has some smoke, tar, leather, meat, earth, gravel and dark fruits. It is concentrated in the mouth with plenty of savoury nuance. Flavours build through the palate and you get a touch of black olive saltiness that works nicely with the dark fruit flavour profile. the finish is carried by sweet tannins. It is drinking really well but still has plenty in the tank.
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The best bottle of this I have had, and just starting to come into its own. Fabulous classic N Rhone flavors. Huge tobacco, BBQ brisket, cherry, and stone. Fantastic purfume. Meat, earth, and spice. Seamless transition to palate and huge length. Sweet dark berry and plum. Strong balance and minerality. Has upside. Great bottle.
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Easter dinner was in full swing so I don't have much for notes on this wine other than to say it is coming along nicely. The flavors are impressively clean and powerful. I personally like where this is at with some air time, but I think it will continue to develop for years to come.
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Whenever I am told to keep my hands off a bottle to let it age, the first thing I do is go and open that bottle. I like to understand how critics score wine with the understanding of where it is and where it will go. No surprise here, this wine needs to sleep for a while. After an 8 hour decant, the wine seemed to be in a nice place, but nowhere near where it will be in the decades to come. Better off allowing this bottle to age naturally as opposed to throwing it into the decanter and trying to fast forward the clock. Will be exceptional in 10-20 years.
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Granato cupo. Al naso evoca splendide sensazioni di salamoia d’olive, goudron, pepe nero, mora, cacao, eucalipto, cumino, cenere. In un quadro di grande mobilità e fascino. La bocca è agile, beverina, pur non concedendo nulla a cedimenti. Lunghissimo e caleidoscopico il finale
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Lunch C.A. de la Paulée: Un nez discret, subtil, mente fraiche, chanvre, épices douces, végétal noble. Il n'épate pas mais intrigue. La bouche élégante, soyeuse, fraiche, la texture est magique et la longueur extraordinaire, dans un style très fin ....la proverbiale main de fer dans un gant de velours. Aromatique délicate sur les petits fruits. Peut-être la plus belle texture cette année. Les gens étaient en Cote de Nuit, j'y serais aussi. Grand vin exceptionnel. 97 pts
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Dinner at home with Mrs L, VK, PH, J&D, Ian K (At home): Elegant and expressive Syrah with dense black fruit and dark, smoky spicebox, roast meat and soy aromas. Beautifully crafted for the long haul, this wine will definitely outlast me
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Oh yeah - this is the business! A big Hermitage, but still distinctly N. Rhone. This was just kicking - a great match with smoked pulled pork and ribs. On the table next to 2001 Rostaing La Landonne...the Rostaing was KILLED by this wine. On a whole 'nuther level. And usually I prefer the more elegant wine in a given pairing. The Chapoutier was just flat out superior. Showing great fruit, floral aspects, mineral and a bit of pepper on the palate. This will age for a very long time! Tremendous wine.
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Medium garnet, fully mature from the color. Expressive nose of red fruit, sweet spices, cloves, white pepper, leather and a noticeable bretty (=horse stable) undertone that disappeared after 1h of opening. On the palate medium bodied, soft and well balanced with fully integrated tannins and medium-high acidity. A very elegant Syrah, goes well with food, especially meat. Good wine no doubt, but does it merit RP's 99 pts?
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Opened for an hour, decanted for two. Soaring aromas, a lighter red colour than the '04 Penfolds Grange alongside it, beautiful fruit, perfectly balanced and integrated.
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Judging by certain professional reviews, I was expecting to be attacked by a monster. But this l'ermite was surprisingly charming and light on its feet. In fact, if I didn't know better I would use the word delicate, or perhaps this might reflect some other wines I've been drinking recently. At any rate, after an hour of decanting, the bright notes of spring flowers, wet stones and dark/red berries were a pleasure to inhale. On the palate, there was a tinge of soy that almost lent the wine a slight salty edge. Nicely balanced, with a silky fine texture and tannins melting subtly into the background, this l'ermite is already edging into its window of drinkability. Really pleased that I've located a case of this recently, and so have a few more bottles with which to track its evolution over the next several years.
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Still too young and we did not give it enough time in the decanter. The bottle only lasts a couple of hours and the last glass is more or less faboulus. Pure elegance with cool lazy fruit, the mouthfeel is fantastic.
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Dinner with Edmund and Shuming (Edmund and Shuming's place @ the Marbella): Third out of 12, part of our pact to meet up over a bottle of l'Ermite every year until this case is finished. The wine was still young, but continues to impress tremendously. It was only at about the third hour in the decanter where this really began to sing. However, even when first poured into our glasses, it was already showing a stunningly complex nose, with wafting scents of plums, dark cherries and blueberries, alongside dried earth, and mineral, and then some flowers, a touch of Asian black bean sauce, a bit of dried herbs - almost a match for the rosemary we had on the lamb - altogether in a perfumy, complex whole. Enchanting stuff, it would almost have been Burg-like at first but for a meaty, slightly gamey duck fat note at the edges. With even more time though, the nose showed more and more clearly Rhone, with tons of mineral and a nice bit of roast meat coming to the fore. What a gorgeous nose. How wonderful on the palate too, if not quit as generous and giving. It was still very structured for sure, with fine but firm tannins giving the wine a solid backbone, but this was clearly resolving, with a softening background and already amazing complexity, from earth and mineral on the attack, to deep notes of plums, dark berries and cherries on the midpalate, to almost Asian notes of spice and herb on the midpalate, even a touch of savoury sweetbread, before a superbly lengthy finish with blue fruit and mineral and bits of charred meat pulling away in the mouth. A wonderful kaleidescope of flavours just waiting to tumble out of the glass, and yet the wine was so refined and well-shaped that this all seemed to happened in an orderly, elegant, almost understated fashion. Great stuff. With time though, the wine opened up even more, filling the palate with a wonderfully integrated mouthfull of Syrah goodness with shades of dark fruit, mineral, earth and meat all melding together into a lovely melange. I found this a really nice pairing with some Mimolette cheese, but when some sour cherries added into the mix, the wine went so well with the food that I could not help from taking sip, after sip, after sip. A beautiful wine. Still very young, but this is getting better year on year, taking on an amazing complexity wed to a wonderful elegance. While I was not sure at first whether it was as good or better than the stupendous bottle we had last year, but the wine really started showing its mettle as the night went past - this just seemed that bit clearer, more complex, more integrated. Less showy perhaps, but it does not need to be. It was a complete wine, with tons of class wed to an earthy Rhone yumminess. From here on, I can only see this getting better with the passing years. I can only hope I would have aged as well when we open the very last bottle when I turn 40.
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Dinner with Edmund and Shuming (Pine Close): What a difference a year and a half or so makes! Opened for 2 hours, decanted for another 2, this just showed brilliantly. Absolutely intoxicating nose. Super complex, so much going on, yet it was so beautifully integrated that I could hardly pick different scents out from the whole melange. There were sour cherries, bluberries underneath, bluebells, integrated oak notes, deep-set, rather savoury licorice, soy and earth smells and some strange high-toned Japanese momo peach and citrusy / waxy gooseberry hints. Some distinct peppery spice notes emerged as the wine opened up with time. There was some glycerol in there, which I usually do not like, but this actually added to the mix rather than distracting from it. Absolutely beguiling. Really great palate too. Rich, deep, resounding, yet incredibly balanced, and surprisingly elegant, even more so than the Pomerol we had alongside. There were solid meaty notes, fragrant black peppercorn flavours, reams of dark fruit and savoury earth spiked with a touch of incense and licorice. Nice sappy finish too, with fresh acidity washing through fresh cherry and dark chocolate flavours. A world of difference from the bottle last year. While the other was rather tight and brooding, this was absolutely singing. I can only see this getting better and better. Yum! And, as an extra bonus, this actually paired incredibly well with Elsa's chocolate and raspberry jam cake. The acidity in the wine was a nice relief to the sweetness of the cake, and the raspberry and chocolate in the cake just brought out lovely raspberry and chocolate flavours in the wine. It was an even better pairing with the cake than the red-wine beef stew! Who would have thought?
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Michel & Alain Roux Dinner (Gordon Grill, Goodwood Park Hotel): Young, but was this ever so lovely. Super classic Hermitage in so many aspects. Purple-red colour, nose was nice and clean, with leather, cracked pepper, cloves and five spice. With time, this took on more meatiness, with some sauvage, animale tones and herbal touches on the fringes. Similarly clean and bright on the palate, though there was plenty of power - I got more flavours of cloves, pepper and a peaty, smokey single-malt note. Lurking under all this was a nice, pure expression of blueberries, all supported by really fine tannins. At one point, the wine took on a medicinal, powdery Chinese herb taste and fell, but this quickly subsided into the blueberries again. Finish was fresh and long, with a final, lingering kiss of leather and a touch of roasted meat. Very serious, challenging wine that gave a sense that it was still very tight and needs some time to open up, but really nice.
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Very smooth, mature and far better than the first bottle I had this year. Resolved tannins, very long finish, really delicious. Highly recommended based on this bottle.
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Initial nose and taste had barnyard funk, which blew off after about 10 minutes, revealing raspberries and cream. Tannins are still a little stiff and this wine is more roughly hewn than I would have thought, but very nice flavors that seem a little short.
The wine did evolve in the glass and further open up, but the tough edges and sense of fading fruit prevent this from scoring higher with me.
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Served blind, could not catch, went to Toscana for it's bright acidity, it's freshness and elegant lightness. It's quite a well dressed version of hermitage. #SF-culttasting
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1/6/2024 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Wine Bros: A Study of Syrah (Cowford Chophouse): This is one of my favorite years for the Rhone although it gets almost no love anywhere else from what I can tell. There’s a balance and power to it always though in the best wines and this is one of my favorites. The Chapoutier that I am really excited to drink. There’s some berries and bell pepper and almost a nice classic restraint to the style. Drinking very well. Opened and double-decanted and it really does seem to work. Nice wine.
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1/7/2023 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Wine Night at TCC (Timuquana Country Club): Opened and decanted for sediment and then rebottled. This was not showing quite as well as the bottle opened a few weeks ago despite this being a magnum and that being a 750. There is the elegance that the L'Ermite vineyard brings. A bit more precision to the wine than the others in this flight which came across as perhaps a touch more acid.
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12/7/2022 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Commanderie des Costes du Rhone - Fall 2022 Intronization (Aquavit): Yum yum yum. I'm not really an Hermitage person and not as devout to Chapoutier as many Rhone folks are and yet I just love these L'Ermites. It's got some great freshness and a bit of game and yet more in a refined manner. Very pretty in style. Drinking nicely now but with many years left.
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6/25/2022 - JRockEsq Likes this wine: 91 Points
Method: blind; Grassl 1855
Look: medium- garnet
Nose: light bandaid, light cured meat, cherry, light red licorice, leather, pepper, light rose; fairly subtle
Palate: cherry, dried oregano, leather; medium finish of leather, pepper, rose, black tea, dried oregano; dry; medium- body; medium tannins; medium acidity
Overall thoughts: Somewhat rustic, with average quality tannins that build on the palate. A bit lighter overall, and I wouldn't mind if it was more expressive. Still, this is a great wine.
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4/7/2022 - bbq_grandcru Likes this wine: 90 Points
Might to medium body. Youthful dark robe. Good balance. Dark fruits that are subtle, in fact a bit lacking on the fruit. Slightly tight on the finish, suggesting this needs a bit more time in the bottle.
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2/1/2022 - merlotsmile Likes this wine: 93 Points
Anders HK provning
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1/19/2022 - ubercuvee wrote:
Lovely, young but showing enough complexity that you could certainly start enjoying these now. No rush: should evolve nicelt
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11/5/2021 - Nmilau Likes this wine: 96 Points
The nose is charcoal and sweet Indian spices. Mouth feel envelops every taste bud possible with savoury Indian spices, masculine and musky.
Long lingering finish. This wine is an experience, it’s drinking beautifully but has plenty of room to go
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9/7/2021 - Quiet Lion Likes this wine: 96 Points
Decanted briefly. High-toned and still a bit youthful with generous nose of roasted meats, smoky earth and dark fruit on the palate, long finish once it opened up with a few minutes of air. This continued to evolve over 90 minutes for better or worse. At its best, 96 points.
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7/11/2021 - Eric Wright Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drinking well now with no prior decanting
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1/23/2021 - soyhead wrote:
smoky nose
in the mouth savory fruit with prominent dark berries and a long acidic finish. mouthcoating and very round. superb pairing with local duck in a butter/anchovy sauce.
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10/17/2020 - Argrath wrote: 95 Points
(Blind tasting BYO)
Full, deep nose of dark fruit and smoke. Extremely rich and potent. Perfectly developed. Dark fruit, black currant, pepper, ink and cedar. Very powerful. Bacon-fat but very elegant. Perfectly poised between Pauillac and Northern Rhône.
Full, rich and complex palate. Generous and multi-layered. Austere and generous at the same time. Ripe tannins. Dark fruit, cedar, tobacco, cigarre, some barnyard maturity. But also a refreshing floweriness.
A wine that confirms our tasting group's experience that Hermitage is not always easy to separate from rich and generous left bank Bdx. You have to detect the smoke, the white pepper and the bacon. But it's very easy to go wrong. A splendid wine! First growth class. Ready to go and enjoy for at least 10 more years.
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10/2/2020 - 221B wrote: 95 Points
This is a beautiful wine that is drinking well now. 1 hr decant. Black fruit, meaty, smoky, lavender, with a nice dose of bacon bits on the nose. Nice acidity and an elegant finish that lasts and lasts! Wow!
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12/20/2019 - d'Artagnan wrote: 92 Points
Lunch de Noël des anciens de C&S 2019: Mon offrande.
Nez décevant, fruit noir discret, un peu de brets? La bouche est droite et minérale, avec de la fraîcheur et des tanins soyeux, les gens le trouvent serré. Il a la race du crû mais manque un peu de charme, surtout par rapport à une bouteille splendide prise il y a quelques années. Un beau vin, mais décevant vu sa réputation. 92 pts
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12/13/2019 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 98 Points
Tasted in double-blind fashion from a well-cellared magnum, this deep garnet wine left no doubt about its Northern Rhone origin. Still quite youthful in this format, it is effusively fragrant. Dark plum, blackberry, allspice, leather, cigar box, loam and braised meat aromas are followed by similar flavors on a medium-bodied palate. Freshly acidic and with nicely woven alcohol (listed as 13.5%), it wraps its flavors with silky-textured tannins and a modicum of well-integrated oak. Perhaps the most impressive attribute of this magnificent Syrah is its dense and layered middle palate, which glides to a finish that lingers on and on. Classic in quality in every sense, this is a joy to drink. Comparably cellared magnums will have substantial longevity. Drink now-2035.
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10/10/2019 - Quiet Lion Likes this wine: 98 Points
Decanted and served over cocktails. Silky, layered, and focused on the palate with seamless dark fruit and light minerality. Its quiet power evolves beautifully as it keeps improving and changing, bringing out berry liqueuer, chocolate, and roasted meats at times, all subtly interwoven with its perfect acid backbone. Really lovely wine showing exquisitely now.
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2/15/2019 - peternelson wrote: 93 Points
Intense fruit, lavender, stewed blackberry, earthy, Lovely, complex. Dirty Dozen N. Rhone tasting at Taylors.
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12/6/2018 - Quiet Lion Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted and served. I think it could have used more air to put on weight but it was delicious. Still youthful with blue and black fruit and noticeable oak.
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4/20/2018 - Claret & CdP Gang Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wow nose! Mature, autumn leaves, savoury, in a great spot now, balanced and finessed, absolutely stunning wine with great inner beauty, ready but with many years left, my wotn with the 95 latour
95
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2/10/2018 - robferguson1 wrote: 92 Points
Drinking well more life , tasty , long finish
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11/17/2017 - wineguy75 Likes this wine: 95 Points
no time to pre-decant, so pnp & filtered sediment. in the heart of drinking window but will last a while longer. dark fruits, bacon.
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7/29/2017 - retired_and_roving Likes this wine:
Big Meat and Serious Syrah on a gorgeous summer afternoon (Westport, CT): A bit tight for me on initial tasting, but with time in the glass it opened up a bit more. Dark fruits, very savory profile, not a lot of secondary development at this point - think this will continue to benefit from more time in the cellar.
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7/29/2017 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Big Meat and Serious Syrah (Westport, CT): Made me quite happy to know that these are really very good as we have quite a few resting in our cellar. Red raspberries. A bit of smoke and very well aged. One of my favorites. It's a bit brighter and lighter and more fruit forward than the Le Pavillons were.
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6/29/2017 - d'Artagnan wrote: 92 Points
Nez assez classique, les tanins sont très fins, le vin assez puissant, de bonne longueur. C'est excellent. Il lui toutefois manquait l'éclat de la première bouteilles prise il y a quelques années. 92 pts
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4/20/2017 - bajayngo wrote:
Quick note from Dr Maxood's - drank from mag, meat-meat and more meat! Cured meats, raw, bacon smoke and steak tar tar, field flowers and garrigue, gravel, drinking young even though 17yrs old but normal for a mag. Delicious stuff.
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4/12/2017 - Motz wrote: 95 Points
From a magnum. Pure, smoky, Syrah, in all its royal purple glory. Layered, compelling, and inflection changing, with tremendous lifting acids and luxurious dusty tannins. This bottle had the substance to age another fifteen to twenty years. 93-95.
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7/3/2016 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
This is a big, savoury wine with great character. There are notes of leather, baked earth, blood plum, cassis and dried flowers. It has monumental structure but fruit weight that is commensurate with it. It is a powerful wine yet multifaceted and totally engaging.
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5/21/2016 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Dense, deep, dark and surly but unfurls nicely after you work plenty of air into it. The nose has some smoke, tar, leather, meat, earth, gravel and dark fruits. It is concentrated in the mouth with plenty of savoury nuance. Flavours build through the palate and you get a touch of black olive saltiness that works nicely with the dark fruit flavour profile. the finish is carried by sweet tannins. It is drinking really well but still has plenty in the tank.
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11/28/2015 - The Guzz wrote: 95 Points
The best bottle of this I have had, and just starting to come into its own. Fabulous classic N Rhone flavors. Huge tobacco, BBQ brisket, cherry, and stone. Fantastic purfume. Meat, earth, and spice. Seamless transition to palate and huge length. Sweet dark berry and plum. Strong balance and minerality. Has upside. Great bottle.
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4/5/2015 - jasonh wrote:
Easter dinner was in full swing so I don't have much for notes on this wine other than to say it is coming along nicely. The flavors are impressively clean and powerful. I personally like where this is at with some air time, but I think it will continue to develop for years to come.
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12/23/2014 - KMDoyle405 wrote: 95 Points
Whenever I am told to keep my hands off a bottle to let it age, the first thing I do is go and open that bottle. I like to understand how critics score wine with the understanding of where it is and where it will go. No surprise here, this wine needs to sleep for a while. After an 8 hour decant, the wine seemed to be in a nice place, but nowhere near where it will be in the decades to come. Better off allowing this bottle to age naturally as opposed to throwing it into the decanter and trying to fast forward the clock. Will be exceptional in 10-20 years.
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2/17/2014 - Ludi Likes this wine: 97 Points
Granato cupo. Al naso evoca splendide sensazioni di salamoia d’olive, goudron, pepe nero, mora, cacao, eucalipto, cumino, cenere. In un quadro di grande mobilità e fascino. La bocca è agile, beverina, pur non concedendo nulla a cedimenti. Lunghissimo e caleidoscopico il finale
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12/23/2013 - d'Artagnan wrote: 97 Points
Lunch C.A. de la Paulée: Un nez discret, subtil, mente fraiche, chanvre, épices douces, végétal noble. Il n'épate pas mais intrigue.
La bouche élégante, soyeuse, fraiche, la texture est magique et la longueur extraordinaire, dans un style très fin ....la proverbiale main de fer dans un gant de velours. Aromatique délicate sur les petits fruits.
Peut-être la plus belle texture cette année. Les gens étaient en Cote de Nuit, j'y serais aussi. Grand vin exceptionnel. 97 pts
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10/19/2013 - ilee Likes this wine: 95 Points
Dinner at home with Mrs L, VK, PH, J&D, Ian K (At home): Elegant and expressive Syrah with dense black fruit and dark, smoky spicebox, roast meat and soy aromas. Beautifully crafted for the long haul, this wine will definitely outlast me
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7/27/2013 - Blair Curtis wrote: 95 Points
Oh yeah - this is the business! A big Hermitage, but still distinctly N. Rhone. This was just kicking - a great match with smoked pulled pork and ribs. On the table next to 2001 Rostaing La Landonne...the Rostaing was KILLED by this wine. On a whole 'nuther level. And usually I prefer the more elegant wine in a given pairing. The Chapoutier was just flat out superior. Showing great fruit, floral aspects, mineral and a bit of pepper on the palate. This will age for a very long time! Tremendous wine.
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7/21/2013 - Collector1855 wrote: 94 Points
Medium garnet, fully mature from the color. Expressive nose of red fruit, sweet spices, cloves, white pepper, leather and a noticeable bretty (=horse stable) undertone that disappeared after 1h of opening. On the palate medium bodied, soft and well balanced with fully integrated tannins and medium-high acidity. A very elegant Syrah, goes well with food, especially meat. Good wine no doubt, but does it merit RP's 99 pts?
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7/9/2012 - peterk wrote: 95 Points
Opened for an hour, decanted for two. Soaring aromas, a lighter red colour than the '04 Penfolds Grange alongside it, beautiful fruit, perfectly balanced and integrated.
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5/24/2012 - DRob wrote:
From magnum. Earthy nose, dark red color. Red fruits-raspberry, cherry, spice and fabulous balance. Powerful, spicy, rich. Plenty of legs left.
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4/11/2012 - ilee wrote: 95 Points
Judging by certain professional reviews, I was expecting to be attacked by a monster. But this l'ermite was surprisingly charming and light on its feet. In fact, if I didn't know better I would use the word delicate, or perhaps this might reflect some other wines I've been drinking recently. At any rate, after an hour of decanting, the bright notes of spring flowers, wet stones and dark/red berries were a pleasure to inhale. On the palate, there was a tinge of soy that almost lent the wine a slight salty edge. Nicely balanced, with a silky fine texture and tannins melting subtly into the background, this l'ermite is already edging into its window of drinkability. Really pleased that I've located a case of this recently, and so have a few more bottles with which to track its evolution over the next several years.
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8/22/2011 - Tavastgatan wrote: 94 Points
Still too young and we did not give it enough time in the decanter. The bottle only lasts a couple of hours and the last glass is more or less faboulus. Pure elegance with cool lazy fruit, the mouthfeel is fantastic.
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6/18/2011 - Paul S wrote: 95 Points
Dinner with Edmund and Shuming (Edmund and Shuming's place @ the Marbella): Third out of 12, part of our pact to meet up over a bottle of l'Ermite every year until this case is finished. The wine was still young, but continues to impress tremendously. It was only at about the third hour in the decanter where this really began to sing. However, even when first poured into our glasses, it was already showing a stunningly complex nose, with wafting scents of plums, dark cherries and blueberries, alongside dried earth, and mineral, and then some flowers, a touch of Asian black bean sauce, a bit of dried herbs - almost a match for the rosemary we had on the lamb - altogether in a perfumy, complex whole. Enchanting stuff, it would almost have been Burg-like at first but for a meaty, slightly gamey duck fat note at the edges. With even more time though, the nose showed more and more clearly Rhone, with tons of mineral and a nice bit of roast meat coming to the fore. What a gorgeous nose. How wonderful on the palate too, if not quit as generous and giving. It was still very structured for sure, with fine but firm tannins giving the wine a solid backbone, but this was clearly resolving, with a softening background and already amazing complexity, from earth and mineral on the attack, to deep notes of plums, dark berries and cherries on the midpalate, to almost Asian notes of spice and herb on the midpalate, even a touch of savoury sweetbread, before a superbly lengthy finish with blue fruit and mineral and bits of charred meat pulling away in the mouth. A wonderful kaleidescope of flavours just waiting to tumble out of the glass, and yet the wine was so refined and well-shaped that this all seemed to happened in an orderly, elegant, almost understated fashion. Great stuff. With time though, the wine opened up even more, filling the palate with a wonderfully integrated mouthfull of Syrah goodness with shades of dark fruit, mineral, earth and meat all melding together into a lovely melange. I found this a really nice pairing with some Mimolette cheese, but when some sour cherries added into the mix, the wine went so well with the food that I could not help from taking sip, after sip, after sip. A beautiful wine. Still very young, but this is getting better year on year, taking on an amazing complexity wed to a wonderful elegance. While I was not sure at first whether it was as good or better than the stupendous bottle we had last year, but the wine really started showing its mettle as the night went past - this just seemed that bit clearer, more complex, more integrated. Less showy perhaps, but it does not need to be. It was a complete wine, with tons of class wed to an earthy Rhone yumminess. From here on, I can only see this getting better with the passing years. I can only hope I would have aged as well when we open the very last bottle when I turn 40.
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10/15/2010 - Paul S wrote: 95 Points
Dinner with Edmund and Shuming (Pine Close): What a difference a year and a half or so makes! Opened for 2 hours, decanted for another 2, this just showed brilliantly. Absolutely intoxicating nose. Super complex, so much going on, yet it was so beautifully integrated that I could hardly pick different scents out from the whole melange. There were sour cherries, bluberries underneath, bluebells, integrated oak notes, deep-set, rather savoury licorice, soy and earth smells and some strange high-toned Japanese momo peach and citrusy / waxy gooseberry hints. Some distinct peppery spice notes emerged as the wine opened up with time. There was some glycerol in there, which I usually do not like, but this actually added to the mix rather than distracting from it. Absolutely beguiling. Really great palate too. Rich, deep, resounding, yet incredibly balanced, and surprisingly elegant, even more so than the Pomerol we had alongside. There were solid meaty notes, fragrant black peppercorn flavours, reams of dark fruit and savoury earth spiked with a touch of incense and licorice. Nice sappy finish too, with fresh acidity washing through fresh cherry and dark chocolate flavours. A world of difference from the bottle last year. While the other was rather tight and brooding, this was absolutely singing. I can only see this getting better and better. Yum! And, as an extra bonus, this actually paired incredibly well with Elsa's chocolate and raspberry jam cake. The acidity in the wine was a nice relief to the sweetness of the cake, and the raspberry and chocolate in the cake just brought out lovely raspberry and chocolate flavours in the wine. It was an even better pairing with the cake than the red-wine beef stew! Who would have thought?
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1/13/2009 - Paul S wrote: 93 Points
Michel & Alain Roux Dinner (Gordon Grill, Goodwood Park Hotel): Young, but was this ever so lovely. Super classic Hermitage in so many aspects. Purple-red colour, nose was nice and clean, with leather, cracked pepper, cloves and five spice. With time, this took on more meatiness, with some sauvage, animale tones and herbal touches on the fringes. Similarly clean and bright on the palate, though there was plenty of power - I got more flavours of cloves, pepper and a peaty, smokey single-malt note. Lurking under all this was a nice, pure expression of blueberries, all supported by really fine tannins. At one point, the wine took on a medicinal, powdery Chinese herb taste and fell, but this quickly subsided into the blueberries again. Finish was fresh and long, with a final, lingering kiss of leather and a touch of roasted meat. Very serious, challenging wine that gave a sense that it was still very tight and needs some time to open up, but really nice.
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8/26/2008 - mtennenbaum wrote: 94 Points
Very smooth, mature and far better than the first bottle I had this year. Resolved tannins, very long finish, really delicious. Highly recommended based on this bottle.
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6/8/2008 - mtennenbaum wrote: 89 Points
Initial nose and taste had barnyard funk, which blew off after about 10 minutes, revealing raspberries and cream. Tannins are still a little stiff and this wine is more roughly hewn than I would have thought, but very nice flavors that seem a little short.
The wine did evolve in the glass and further open up, but the tough edges and sense of fading fruit prevent this from scoring higher with me.
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4/15/2004 - beatles wrote: 93 Points
Served blind, could not catch, went to Toscana for it's bright acidity, it's freshness and elegant lightness. It's quite a well dressed version of hermitage. #SF-culttasting
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