Second bottle. Notes very consistent with my earlier experience two years ago, except the wine felt like it had gone back into hibernation. I’ll let it sleep for a bit and will open my third bottle in 2027
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While enjoyable now, this wine is nowhere near its prime drinking window. Without a doubt, the most fruit-forward white Ermitage I've ever tasted. Notes of white fruits, flowers, and hazelnuts are present. No secondary characteristics yet. Next bottle in 5 to 10 years.
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Drinking beautiful with a well balanced palate, white flowers and white fruits on a well structured wine. Can be cellared further and expected to get only better
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The moment it came out of the bottle, florals filled the room- jasmin, magnolia, pineapple blossoms. The colour pure gold, and it hugs the glass with dense viscosity. The palate is gorgeous, starting with citrus fruit, and evolving quickly into butterscotch, caramel, and crème brûlée. The flavors mix with perfect balance, freshness and purity. Ready to drink now but will evolve nicely over time. Next bottle in 2 years.
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Wonderful, classic hermitage blanc. I really like white hermitage when young, but I’ve never had luck aging them. They start to develop sherry like notes. Wondering if others have had similar experiences.
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Wow. A special wine. Really nice smokiness sits on top of stone fruit and bruised orchard fruit. Pleasant waxiness. Such focus in the wine. Glorious finish goes and goes and goes.
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Kings of Rhone Masterclass (Casa Esperanza): 93% Marsanne. 7% Rousaane. Very good indeed. This was an intriguing wine. The nose was really charming, with quietly complex notes of cream and stone fruit, musk melons and mineral, with a nice shade of white flowers at the side, all coated with a little layer of beeswax. Very alluring. The palate was absolutely wonderful too - rich and nutty, with creamy mouthful of beeswax, melon and fresh nutmeg fruit, along with nutty almond and macadamia flavours, all pulling away into a nicely spiced and flowered finish. With time, the fruit and flowers took a step back on the backapalate, and those typical Marsanne notes of bittersweet mineral and almond skins came out, alongside a lovely textural, almost tannic chew on the finish. Yummy, and very, very impressive indeed. Drinking nicely now if you like your white Hermitage in its youthful, fruity stage; a surprisingly adept pairing with spicy mapo tofu as well. Otherwise, I would happily wait a decade or two for it to emerge from its adolescence into a mature richness.
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Kings of Rhône: Kings of Rhône virtual masterclass moderated by WA‘s Joe Czerwinski featuring both Michel Chapoutier and Philippe Guigal who presented 5 wines each. Including shipping and storage, all wines spent approx. 1 week in a screw cap phial. In this direct face-off, Guigal had the upper hand claiming the top 3 wines: La Turque 2017 (98), La Mouline 2016 (97), Ex-Voto Blanc 2017 (96). Chapoutier's top wine was the Le Pavillon 2015 (95). Full list included in the tasting story.
Tasting note: This is made half from young vines (16 years of age) and half from very old vines (>100 years). Rich and smoky with plenty of salty minerality, a bit of spices, oak. A ripe fruit profile but was hard to pin down. This is all pretty good, but the palate is a show-stopper. Incredibly soft, velvety but with a vibrancy to it to continues to sing into long finish. Opulent and majestic.
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12/27/2023 - Waël Likes this wine: 95 Points
Second bottle. Notes very consistent with my earlier experience two years ago, except the wine felt like it had gone back into hibernation. I’ll let it sleep for a bit and will open my third bottle in 2027
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11/3/2023 - no oak Likes this wine: 92 Points
While enjoyable now, this wine is nowhere near its prime drinking window. Without a doubt, the most fruit-forward white Ermitage I've ever tasted. Notes of white fruits, flowers, and hazelnuts are present. No secondary characteristics yet. Next bottle in 5 to 10 years.
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9/25/2023 - axr wrote: 93 Points
Very nice. Good with Indian food, Chinese, spice, curry
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6/29/2023 - LB88 wrote: 94 Points
Drinking beautiful with a well balanced palate, white flowers and white fruits on a well structured wine. Can be cellared further and expected to get only better
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10/20/2022 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Fida's Private lunch with Philippe Guigal and Ralph Garcin (Gramercy Tavern): Perhaps the prequel to the 1983? This is very young and appreciated being a bit chilled since it gave a bit more acidic pop to it. Nice honey, bit more heat. I'd wait on drinking.
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6/19/2022 - Waël Likes this wine: 95 Points
The moment it came out of the bottle, florals filled the room- jasmin, magnolia, pineapple blossoms. The colour pure gold, and it hugs the glass with dense viscosity. The palate is gorgeous, starting with citrus fruit, and evolving quickly into butterscotch, caramel, and crème brûlée. The flavors mix with perfect balance, freshness and purity. Ready to drink now but will evolve nicely over time. Next bottle in 2 years.
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2/13/2022 - Red Sox Fan Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wonderful, classic hermitage blanc. I really like white hermitage when young, but I’ve never had luck aging them. They start to develop sherry like notes. Wondering if others have had similar experiences.
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11/6/2021 - ews3 wrote: 96 Points
Wow. A special wine. Really nice smokiness sits on top of stone fruit and bruised orchard fruit. Pleasant waxiness. Such focus in the wine. Glorious finish goes and goes and goes.
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10/23/2021 - nywine68 wrote: 93 Points
Wine Advocate Kings of Rhone Online Masterclass: A beautiful nose of peach and flowers. Very round and silky body. Tropical fruit without overt sweetness.
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10/16/2021 - Paul S wrote: 94 Points
Kings of Rhone Masterclass (Casa Esperanza): 93% Marsanne. 7% Rousaane. Very good indeed. This was an intriguing wine. The nose was really charming, with quietly complex notes of cream and stone fruit, musk melons and mineral, with a nice shade of white flowers at the side, all coated with a little layer of beeswax. Very alluring. The palate was absolutely wonderful too - rich and nutty, with creamy mouthful of beeswax, melon and fresh nutmeg fruit, along with nutty almond and macadamia flavours, all pulling away into a nicely spiced and flowered finish. With time, the fruit and flowers took a step back on the backapalate, and those typical Marsanne notes of bittersweet mineral and almond skins came out, alongside a lovely textural, almost tannic chew on the finish. Yummy, and very, very impressive indeed. Drinking nicely now if you like your white Hermitage in its youthful, fruity stage; a surprisingly adept pairing with spicy mapo tofu as well. Otherwise, I would happily wait a decade or two for it to emerge from its adolescence into a mature richness.
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10/9/2021 - sirpat00 wrote: 96 Points
Kings of Rhône: Kings of Rhône virtual masterclass moderated by WA‘s Joe Czerwinski featuring both Michel Chapoutier and Philippe Guigal who presented 5 wines each. Including shipping and storage, all wines spent approx. 1 week in a screw cap phial. In this direct face-off, Guigal had the upper hand claiming the top 3 wines: La Turque 2017 (98), La Mouline 2016 (97), Ex-Voto Blanc 2017 (96). Chapoutier's top wine was the Le Pavillon 2015 (95). Full list included in the tasting story.
Tasting note:
This is made half from young vines (16 years of age) and half from very old vines (>100 years). Rich and smoky with plenty of salty minerality, a bit of spices, oak. A ripe fruit profile but was hard to pin down. This is all pretty good, but the palate is a show-stopper. Incredibly soft, velvety but with a vibrancy to it to continues to sing into long finish. Opulent and majestic.
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