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Chave Hermitage Dinner
Greenwood - Highwood IL
Tasted November 21, 2021 by Burgundy Al with 241 views
Introduction
Another wonderful Chave dinner and tasting. While the wines might not have reached the highs of some previous tastings, I continue to find that these wines reward patience. The great vintages seem to reach their apogee in 25-40 years, and the good vintages at 15-30 years. Thank you for organizing, JW!
Flight 1 - An Assortment of Whites to Start (3 notes)
White
1976 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne
89 points
Surprisingly alive. Popped-and-poured, best after 5 minutes in glass, started losing steam after 15 minutes in glass. But good depth of mature apple for that short period, with sweet spice and just enough brightening acidity for the challengers of the 1976 vintage.
White - Sparkling
2002 Pol Roger Champagne Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill
93 points
Bright and tense with so much apple. Powerful from beginning to end, always energetic. Very good now, clearly with upside.
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White - Sparkling
2002 Gosset Champagne Célebris
91 points
Very bright apple and lemon with good+ density and textures, just slightly more ultra brut than I prefer, giving a nearly tart finish.
Flight 2 - Older Chave (3 notes)
Red
1982 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage
93 points
Single blind in 82/88/89 flight. Opened several hours in advance, not decanted. Very good fill. Earthy black fruit with slowly cooked mushroom that was particularly noteworthy on its long finish. Actually freshened up slightly in glass.
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Red
1988 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage
94 points
Single blind in 82/88/89 flight. Opened several hours in advance, double decanted. Big, bold and powerful black fruit, even without any sense of ripeness. Meaty and spicy, with everything in perfect proportion. From the same case as another bottle tasted earlier this year, but tonight's bottles was double decanted in advance (vs popped-and-poured) and the wine showed substantially better tonight.
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Red
1989 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage
93 points
Single blind in 82/88/89 flight. Opened less than an hour in advance, not decanted. Dense and powerful black fruit, but slightly obscured by more powerful tannins and structure. Clearly lots here, but slightly awkward tonight. This bottle was the least interesting I can ever recall for this wine, and think the lack of air was a major reason.
Flight 3 - Mid-Aged Chave (4 notes)
Red
1996 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage
90 points
Single blind in 98/97/96/95 flight. Charming and nicely mature aromas, but less harmonious on the palate. Lots here, as expected, but richer start, more tart finish. Probably limited upside, but certainly good now.
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Red
1998 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage
94 points
Single blind in 98/97/96/95 flight. Black and red cherry with a nuanced and complex array of mostly fresh fruit. Good+ concentration, but the wine's seamless harmony is the star here. I expected this to the the best of the flight, and was not disappointed.
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Red
1995 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage
91 points
Single blind in 98/97/96/95 flight. Mature black cherry and plum with good weight and balance but slightly lacking depth and its typical energy. Slightly disappointing performance tonight. Still good, but an off bottle, perhaps?
Red
1997 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage
93 points
Single blind in 98/97/96/95 flight. Double decanted ~3 hours in advance. Perfect bottle with perfect fill. Clearly ripe black cherry and plum with excellent concentration, very good weight, ending with a meaty finish. Easily enough structure to keep this big wine in good balance. In its peak drinking window, but well stored bottles should continue to drink well for another decade+.
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Flight 4 - Younger Chave (4 notes)
Red
2005 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave St. Joseph
90 points
This was a ringer in 99/00/01 Chave Hermitage flight. Clearly the outlier, it was simpler and more forward than any of the others in the flight. Ripe and powerful, just nowhere near the depth of the vintages of Hermitage in this flight. Some thought it their favorite of the flight, while many of us thought it very good but the least interesting.
Red
2000 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage
92 points
Single blind in 99/00/01 flight with ringer. Ripe and mature black and red cherry, well spiced with black pepper and licorice. Close to its peak drinking window, while the 99 and 01 came across as more backward. Very good now, with good weight and length.
Red
2001 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage
93 points
Single blind in 99/00/01 flight with ringer. Dense black fruit with lots of power, impressive concentration, just hinting at what this wine will be when it grows up. Previous bottles have been more accessible than tonight's.
Red
1999 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage
93 points
Single blind in 99/00/01 flight with ringer. Very similar to the 2001 in the flight, but a small step up in its potential. Same fruit, more anise, olive tapenade and cracked black pepper, but also more structure. Again, previous bottles have been more accessible than tonight's, but this wasn't a good day for tasting in the biodynamic calendar.
Flight 5 - Something Sweet to Finish (2 notes)
White - Sweet/Dessert
2001 Château Suduiraut
93 points
Alongside Rieussec 2001. From 375 ml bottle. Dried and fresh apricot, sweet and lush, with balancing acidity. Very well balanced with good length.
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White - Sweet/Dessert
2001 Château Rieussec
91 points
Alongside Suduiraut 2001. Sweet with moderate complexity, even while showing very good weight. There is a slight chemical note. I adored this wine at release, but several bottles in the past few years have been like tonight's - certainly very good, but not nearly as great as before.
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