2016 Ferraton Père & Fils Hermitage Les Miaux

Community Tasting Notes (4) Avg Score: 92 points

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  3/2/2024 - jonnysandwich wrote: 93 Points

  This is showing just beautifully right now--right in the pocket. Briny olive, fresh crushed herbs, the charred flesh of something sacrificial, tart jam, and an oily-fatty finish. Not too salty or too bold. (It gives soft pagan ceremony vibes, perhaps?) Fits a wagyu steak like a glove.
  
  Ferraton is a lower-tier Hermitage producer but I'd say this is superior to upper-tier producers' lower-tier wines. (Huh?) So...this ain't no La Chapelle but it surely outshines La Maison Bleue, especially with 8 years of age. This ain't no Chave flagship but it would make an interesting comparison with Farconnet.
  
  Leave it open for a while. It balances after about an hour, and some mineral hints emerge. A wonderfully tantalizing wine--it seems to teeter on the cusp of some overwhelming flavor that never arrives, but this edging helps us appreciate its subtle profile all the more.

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  11/20/2023 - sid_loves_wine Likes this wine: 94 Points

  Delicious and awesome, with deeply pitched ultra blackened fruit, sort of a baked blackberry preserve and fruit leather vibe alongside black licorice, ashy olive brine, cracked pepper steak and so on- a very ripe and rounded wine for a northern rhone that might lack a little "verve", but still has more than enough acidity and fine-grained elegance to feel extremely well-balanced, and the power of it is just awesome, never heavy.
  
  In general, when it comes to higher-tier northern rhone, I've had more consistently memorable experiences with Cote Rotie and Cornas than my limited experiences with Hermitage- I find the first two are generally "fresher" and lighter-bodied compared to the plump softness of Hermitage, if that makes sense. The same for the "lower tier" northern rhone appellations - I usually prefer the bright freshness of Saint Joseph to the slightly larger-scaled Crozes. Then again, it's not like I've had an opportunity to try Chave Hermitage yet.
  
  Anyway, this was just gorgeous. Doesn't need further aging, expressive right on the pop and pour. It could go longer, but I wouldn't want the deep black fruit to fade too much. I paid about $90 and it was fantastic for that price- if far over $100 or even $150, maybe not quite as special.

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  10/9/2022 - Jeff Leve wrote: 90 Points

  Fresh, vibrant, crisp, red berry and spice filled with olive, herb, smoke, and peppery accents. Drink from 2023-2035.

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  4/30/2019 - jvphoto Likes this wine: 91 Points

  Very basic notes from Wine Spectator Grand Tour in Vegas. WS score: 95
  Dark fruits, earth, savory spice but not a 95. Would buy.

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