As noted by some other tasters, this is tasty, but definitely young still. The nose is explosive with dark berry fruits, hint of spice, a touch of olive brine. The palate is still pretty massive and while it has lovely balance, it will continue to gain elegance and subtlety with more time. 10 years will probably help.
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Dark, smoky, with rich layers, no shortage of new oak yet. Some olive brine and faint pepper notes fill out the back end of this really grandiose wine in need of more time sideways. I'd suggest to reset your rule of 15 timer starting today.
Sunday Lunch with Raveneau Chablis and Chave Hermitage (Piccino Restaurant, San Francisco): Deep ruby color. Aromas dominated by green notes. Medium weight, very elegant weight on the palate. Black and red fruit with a modicum of ripeness. Excellent acidity, good length. Very, very good and one of my favorites of the flight, but I found the finish to be marred by a strident underripe element that diminished the harmony of the wine.
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Still very young. Had a couple glasses after it'd been open a couple hours. Wonderful floral nose with subtle meat, olive and spice notes. Palate was tightly wound, but classy and polished. White pepper notes scattered in with blues and violets mixed with meat and savory notes. Incredibly balanced. Fine tannins. Very lengthy finish. Will try and save my last bottle for 5+ years
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Almost four years since I have enjoyed this one. And it's even better...as expected. The nose and palate are starting to get a little darker and 'gamier' for sure. Nose has a smoky ripe black fruit character with iodine and bacon fat. Palate of herbal blackberries and blueberries with some bramble fruit character, pipe tobacco, grilled lamb shank...much meatier profile than back in August 2018. This is a stellar Chave doing what a stellar Chave does.... kicking butt and taking names! This would have been a perfect wine with the herbed lamb chops that were on the grill, but unfortunately I wasn't around long enough to experience that awesome fusion!! This wine is born to go with a grilled lamb or duck or game dish. Power, amazing structure, completely balanced, and ready to go! But if you're not in the mood, you can hang on to it for 20 years or more!
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Medium expressive nose displaying youthful dark fruit, black cherry, black berry, pronounced smoke, cedar, a hint of black pepper and black olive. Very good concentration, nicely layered black fruit, silky, good acidity and limestone mineral, and a medium long slightly coiled black fruit driven finish. This is at an awkward stage, i.e. shed primary fruit but not much tertiary notes. I would cellar for another decade.
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Taste of Summer at Helene Darroze (Helene Darroze): This was tasty, but also pretty anonymous, even a little boring. The nose reminded me of right bank Claret: lots of dark fruit, a little oak, a touch of game. On the palate the wine was delicious and beautifully integrated, again with lots of dark fruit, but not much varietal or site character (maybe a little hint of black pepper?). Presumably more interesting in ten years' time.
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Rich primary fruit and not as tannic as I would have expected. This actually reminded me of a recent Sine Qua Non I had tasted. The table was gaga for it, to me it was too simple at this stage. If I wanted to drink SQN, then I'd drink SQN. Probably a re-buy to drink over the next decade, as this should be more interesting with secondary development.
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My first Chave rouge (or blanc for that matter). I think this had around a 2hr decant. I’ll do less of a tn and more an impression. I was afraid this might happen. Damn it. Like I need this. This Hermitage was spectacular and I have to have another Chave again at some point, the sooner the better. The poise, elegance, symmetry and yes generous fruit were all present, and in such a lovely package. I thought a lot about this – I think even if I didn’t know the label I would have been just as impressed as I was last night staring at that red Old English font on the H. Does it have decades ahead, sure. I don’t care. What a Thursday night.
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I drank the last glass of a good C9DP from yesterday. And then I opened this Hermitage... 5 times the price but it's worth it. A nose you rarely smell, a palate you rarely taste. Finesse, power, taste. So good.
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Rhone Rumble w/ JKW; 1/22/2021-1/23/2021 (Old Home of Woodward): Blind I thought it was the other Hermitage in this group. Oh well! Great wine! Firm blackberry, black plum, dark cherry, iron / mineral, violet and a touch of funk/ game. Structure is THERE, wait if you can: 2023-2040.
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Deep color; nose was more pent up than expected given the more challenging year but this was classic young Chave- a brick house that is hard to penetrate, smoke, some vanilla, deep plum, dark fruit, noble and luxurious but not giving much, structured but softer Syrah tannin with better acid for a large wine; definitely want to see this again in 15-20 years; I know it was just the context of the whites Champagne and much older wines next to it but this was my least favorite (though still terrific) wine of the night which speaks to the quality of the wines.
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Deep and long, but largely primary. Still, plenty of fruit complexity and balance. Three hour decant added to the bouquet, but plenty of brightness on opening. One to keep and watch for many years.
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Immediately after opening the bottle I was struck with an amazing nose of deep dark fruits. Wow! Poured one glass into a caraffe, as I wanted to give it plenty air. After 1h, a bold majestic wine emerged. What a monster of a wine. Delicious dark fruits interwoven with spices, backed up with firm but well-mannered tannins and medium acidity. 45s finish as a nice extra. Stored in the fridge and consumed over 3 days, with continuous improvement, suggesting this has a very long life ahead! Chapeau to Mr. Chave!
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I thought this was pretty italian for the warmth on the nose and flavours on the palate. Barnyard, a bit dirty earth on the nose after breathing. Ink, darker fruits. It is fresh with light mint herbs. Nice acidity on the palate to carry the freshness and transparency, good flavours intensity but still pretty young and tight, Long persistent finish. Lovely.
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Chave Hermitage 2011. Nydelig elegant sødmefull frukt. Allerede relativt sømløs med flott frukt og balansert friskhet. Vi er definitivt i ungdommen her, men tar ikke livet av deg å åpne en. Meget lang ettersmak med ganske heftige tanniner. Litt bitterhet. Først i finish man kjenner at lagringsbehovet melder seg. 93p
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HDH auction at Spiaggia; 12/13/2019-12/14/2019 (Chicago, IL): No. 7320. A big and rich wine, with that archetypal Chave polish on the nose. Layered with a mix of smoke, meat, and olives, but richly ornamented with a vast array initially black, and with air, more red fruit. The palate isn't as structured as some of the bigger vintages of this wine, and I'm thinking this will likely be a relatively younger drinking edition of this wine. Nonetheless, this isn't too shut down or hard at the moment and I'm more than happy to be opening this these days.
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Open from first pop but decanted nonetheless, with a sauvage, almost feral nose of gamey roast meat and dark fruit. Graceful and elegant on the palate, showing the best of Chave and the vintage, but blessedly also boasting excellent concentration, avoiding the dilution I see in other 2011s in the Northern Rhône. There's absolutely nothing wrong with drinking this today but it should reward medium-term aging.
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Yesterday I opended a bottle of '11 Chave Hermitage. It breathed around two hours in a decanter. Drank with a dry aged T-Bone steak. The wine one the nose immediately shows it's class. Big nose with herbs, black fruit, meat, licorice. Big palate, showing pretty well now. But there will be more. The wine overpowers the meat. The wine with the baked mushrooms is a perfect match. If you have more than one bottle, open one now and you will love it! excellent wine.
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Super Bowl 2019 (Alpharetta, GA): Very youthful looking, bright reddish violet with bright rim; smoke, mushroom, violets, purple fruit, dusty earth, exotic spice, crunchy fruit, young, some cellar stank; lower acid, stank and violets continue onto the palate, concrete, grainy tannin, leathery, mushroom; very dense and needing time, seems like a strong influence of Brett but not intrusively so, dark fruit and somewhat crunch to the fruit led me to Southern- called '09 Pegau Capo; 94+.
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Drank it over two days. Initially I felt it was a bit rich on the nose, lots of smoked meat, black olives, cassis, riper dark berries, on the palate, it was quite a lot of spices, smoke, licorice and cassis, fruits were richer than I expected. On the second day, after more than 20 hours of opening, the wine showed a lot more minerals, along with light smoke, and Asian spices, minerality played a better role on the second day, on the palate, it was more balanced, fruits toned done a bit with more layers, the wine even had modest acidity into finish. It seemed that this bottle just needed more time to evolve, even for 2011 vintage.
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Forward for Chave, the wine is fresh, spicy, pure, elegant and restrained. There is more depth here than you find most 2011 Northern Rhones, with a finesse-styled, ripe, spicy, red berry finish.
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Compared to the Bionic Frog, SQN B20, High Rock, and Sequel syrahs this one was enjoyed with, it seemed as though this one definitely had a bit more age on it than being a 2011 vintage. Completely different style. Amazingly soft, rounded and integrated for 2011 vintage. Hint of meat but rounded black fruit and spice. Like all of these wines enjoyed, it deserved a table of it's own. Immense structure here. This one seems to JUST be starting to come out of the gate.
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So hard to rate. Wine was very tight and almost inpenatrable with hard stone and new leather. Black peeler and old tire. Very difficult for me at this stage.
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Ink, smoke, earth, candied apple, wet stone, unripe blackberry, a beautiful and enticing nose; pure, pronounced, supple, graceful, smooth, very long finish indeed, beautiful and enticing on the late palate, sometimes seemingly chocolate coated; certainly a little young, a little dry, slightly tight but not as much as might be anticipated, lacking some complexity, but truly very pleasing
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Yet Another Wine Group Hermitage Tasting: Fresh, pure aromas. Tight black pepper. Blackcurrant. Very delicate and elegant. A real beauty. Velvety mouthfeel and class in a glass.
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Weekend in London; 5/12/2017-5/13/2017 (Ledbury, Il Baretto, Hedonsim): Young wine. Very earthy and leather and all of that but also tons of fruit - mostly blackberry. Some brambles. Needs more time to pull together. I'm always a bit skeptical of Chave, but this seemed to have some good stuffing.
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RODANO NORD (AIS MILANO): Degustato alla cieca. Vinosità acidula da frutti rossi non ancora maturi, ruggine, lacca e vernice. Frutto acidulo primario e vanigliato. Potenza espressiva ancora controllata e in embrione, al momento monotematica. In bocca è giovanissimo, ma sa già il fatto suo. La scena al momento è monopolizzata da grappoli di bacche acidule di un colore verde che ricorda i raspi. Tannino graffiante sul finale sanguigno. Attendere molti anni, un vero spreco oggi. 91-94
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Inviting Northern Rhone aromas of smoked meat with unmistakable syrah black pepper. Lingering bright herbal and dried floral note dance about the core. Dark cherry and blackberry emerge as the wine opens up; the fruit rolling in seamlessly on an asphalt road over the palate. Powerful grippy tannins and taut acidity make this one of the superstars of the'11 vintage. Following the dark, earthy grip is a fantastic finish of crushed mineral and savory woodsmoke. This bottling is interesting now, and you will not be disappointed if you pop one open, however, this will sing in ten years and go on for decades after.
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Chave-a-thon (Trentina's): This was outstanding and better than I expected. Still tight and in need of some age, but for the most part, drinking well. Inky purple in color, the darkest on my plate. Black pepper, black raspberries and roasted meats on the nose. On the palate, juicy, sweet black raspberry fruit. Much ripper than expected. The roasted meats carry thru to the palate. A long finish. This has decades left. If drinking now, give it some air if you can.
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Chave and co.: Stalks, cherry, spice, truffly earth and meat. The palate is in a similar vein, with earthy notes and plenty of spice. Good structure and drive, while I don't think this will turn into a top vintage, it has promise to improve rapidly over the medium term.
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Holy effin crap - this blew me away! This really is a first growth Northern Rhone! It ruled the otherwise beautiful 2011 Clape Cornas, but it was no contest really. From a so-so vintage this is world class level. Pronounced intensity, full body without being heavy, long finish, and probably most important of all; Extremely well balanced! There is nothing out of place with just the most intense northern rhone notes (Black cherries, blackberries, blackcurrants, bacon, smoke, pine, cloves spice, tar, cracked black/white/pink pepper) and a perfectly integrated oak regime providing additional smoky notes and a hint of vanilla. Even the tannins were not overpowering however that is possible! Mmmm wish I had a glass in front of me right now!
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8 Vintages of Chave tasted at VVW (2004-2011) Groups #7 and my #7 wine of the tasting. Meat, red currants, earth, and spice on the nose. Tannic and drying palate, somewhat angular and closed, with a mineral component. Not super dense when compared agains the 2010 and 2009 wines that were next in the tasting.
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Chevalier Wine Tasting (Chicago, IL): Tasting, brief note. Much like when tasted a few months ago, this is showing dense and powerful black fruit with a meaty character. Lots of black pepper, anise and dried spice. This needs lots of time in the back of the cellar.
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Tasted at the Knightsbridge event. The best red wine at the tasting. An extremely deep and multilayered wine. Aromas of cinnamon and spice box. On the palate there was vanilla, cedar, leather and currant. Long finish. Can only imagine what this will be like when it matures. 97 points.
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Knightsbridge Annual Holiday Burgundy/Champagne Tasting and Sale (Northbrook, IL): Tasting, brief note. First time trying this wine. Lots of blackberry with black pepper and licorice and a slight gamy note. Dense and powerful with firming structure. Less accessible, more cellar worthy than most 2011s. 94-96 point potential.
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Working with wine 2014 seminar 1 - Rhone varieties (Sofitel, Sydney): Medium plus intensity aromas of black berry, charcuterie, black pepper, mineral notes - stone, quite concentrated also touches of Brett for me. On the plate the wine has medium plus body, and medium plus flavours of blackberry, crushed rocks, slight graphite then medium plus chewy tannin washes through accompanying the fruit and rock notes like an older brother, marshalling the wine towards it's long finish. It's quite simple, quite youthful but very good.
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12/27/2022 - joshabramson Likes this wine: 95 Points
Deep, dark, rich and spicy. Youthful and primary as you’d expect, but still very tasty at this stage! A great young Chave!
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12/26/2022 - jnewman77 Likes this wine:
As noted by some other tasters, this is tasty, but definitely young still. The nose is explosive with dark berry fruits, hint of spice, a touch of olive brine. The palate is still pretty massive and while it has lovely balance, it will continue to gain elegance and subtlety with more time. 10 years will probably help.
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10/10/2022 - jviz Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark, smoky, with rich layers, no shortage of new oak yet. Some olive brine and faint pepper notes fill out the back end of this really grandiose wine in need of more time sideways. I'd suggest to reset your rule of 15 timer starting today.
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9/18/2022 - drwine2001 wrote:
Sunday Lunch with Raveneau Chablis and Chave Hermitage (Piccino Restaurant, San Francisco): Deep ruby color. Aromas dominated by green notes. Medium weight, very elegant weight on the palate. Black and red fruit with a modicum of ripeness. Excellent acidity, good length. Very, very good and one of my favorites of the flight, but I found the finish to be marred by a strident underripe element that diminished the harmony of the wine.
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8/26/2022 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Still very young. Had a couple glasses after it'd been open a couple hours. Wonderful floral nose with subtle meat, olive and spice notes. Palate was tightly wound, but classy and polished. White pepper notes scattered in with blues and violets mixed with meat and savory notes. Incredibly balanced. Fine tannins. Very lengthy finish.
Will try and save my last bottle for 5+ years
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7/14/2022 - Marvinz_hk Likes this wine: 96 Points
Excellent wine and ready to drink but can age 10 years +. silky, delicate, long length, tertiary aroma starting to develop.
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6/24/2022 - VindeGardeConsulting Likes this wine: 96 Points
In an outstanding spot.
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3/11/2022 - mflesh wrote: 96 Points
Almost four years since I have enjoyed this one. And it's even better...as expected. The nose and palate are starting to get a little darker and 'gamier' for sure. Nose has a smoky ripe black fruit character with iodine and bacon fat. Palate of herbal blackberries and blueberries with some bramble fruit character, pipe tobacco, grilled lamb shank...much meatier profile than back in August 2018. This is a stellar Chave doing what a stellar Chave does.... kicking butt and taking names! This would have been a perfect wine with the herbed lamb chops that were on the grill, but unfortunately I wasn't around long enough to experience that awesome fusion!! This wine is born to go with a grilled lamb or duck or game dish. Power, amazing structure, completely balanced, and ready to go! But if you're not in the mood, you can hang on to it for 20 years or more!
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1/4/2022 - nickou1308 Does not like this wine: 65 Points
Likely way too young to drink and very bitter
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11/23/2021 - Rezy13 Likes this wine:
Tuesday Night Double Blind $50+ (Bin 75 Alpharetta, GA): Darker core with violet rim; violets, meaty, bacon fat, smoked meat, some oak, great density, mulled plums, olives, brine, darker mineral, some sun, rich, unctuous, a touch somber and rustic, rough and tumble power, needs time; '12 Clape?
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11/2/2021 - Kevnzworld wrote: 95 Points
Paul Bocuse.
:30 open before service
Ripe young fruit, tannic. Graphite, mushroom, tobacco and toasted vanilla oak on the finish
Lots of upside
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9/20/2021 - dcwino wrote: 93 Points
Medium expressive nose displaying youthful dark fruit, black cherry, black berry, pronounced smoke, cedar, a hint of black pepper and black olive. Very good concentration, nicely layered black fruit, silky, good acidity and limestone mineral, and a medium long slightly coiled black fruit driven finish. This is at an awkward stage, i.e. shed primary fruit but not much tertiary notes. I would cellar for another decade.
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8/26/2021 - NickA Likes this wine: 92 Points
Taste of Summer at Helene Darroze (Helene Darroze): This was tasty, but also pretty anonymous, even a little boring. The nose reminded me of right bank Claret: lots of dark fruit, a little oak, a touch of game. On the palate the wine was delicious and beautifully integrated, again with lots of dark fruit, but not much varietal or site character (maybe a little hint of black pepper?). Presumably more interesting in ten years' time.
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7/3/2021 - Alex G. Likes this wine:
Rich primary fruit and not as tannic as I would have expected. This actually reminded me of a recent Sine Qua Non I had tasted. The table was gaga for it, to me it was too simple at this stage. If I wanted to drink SQN, then I'd drink SQN. Probably a re-buy to drink over the next decade, as this should be more interesting with secondary development.
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5/7/2021 - Dale M wrote:
My first Chave rouge (or blanc for that matter). I think this had around a 2hr decant. I’ll do less of a tn and more an impression. I was afraid this might happen. Damn it. Like I need this. This Hermitage was spectacular and I have to have another Chave again at some point, the sooner the better. The poise, elegance, symmetry and yes generous fruit were all present, and in such a lovely package. I thought a lot about this – I think even if I didn’t know the label I would have been just as impressed as I was last night staring at that red Old English font on the H. Does it have decades ahead, sure. I don’t care. What a Thursday night.
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2/12/2021 - Kriz wrote: 95 Points
I drank the last glass of a good C9DP from yesterday. And then I opened this Hermitage... 5 times the price but it's worth it.
A nose you rarely smell, a palate you rarely taste. Finesse, power, taste. So good.
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1/22/2021 - Grinner wrote: 95 Points
Rhone Rumble w/ JKW; 1/22/2021-1/23/2021 (Old Home of Woodward): Blind I thought it was the other Hermitage in this group. Oh well! Great wine! Firm blackberry, black plum, dark cherry, iron / mineral, violet and a touch of funk/ game. Structure is THERE, wait if you can: 2023-2040.
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1/9/2021 - Rezy13 Likes this wine:
Deep color; nose was more pent up than expected given the more challenging year but this was classic young Chave- a brick house that is hard to penetrate, smoke, some vanilla, deep plum, dark fruit, noble and luxurious but not giving much, structured but softer Syrah tannin with better acid for a large wine; definitely want to see this again in 15-20 years; I know it was just the context of the whites Champagne and much older wines next to it but this was my least favorite (though still terrific) wine of the night which speaks to the quality of the wines.
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12/23/2020 - aChave Likes this wine: 94 Points
Deep and long, but largely primary. Still, plenty of fruit complexity and balance. Three hour decant added to the bouquet, but plenty of brightness on opening. One to keep and watch for many years.
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12/5/2020 - strijbosmh Likes this wine: 94 Points
Immediately after opening the bottle I was struck with an amazing nose of deep dark fruits. Wow! Poured one glass into a caraffe, as I wanted to give it plenty air. After 1h, a bold majestic wine emerged. What a monster of a wine. Delicious dark fruits interwoven with spices, backed up with firm but well-mannered tannins and medium acidity. 45s finish as a nice extra. Stored in the fridge and consumed over 3 days, with continuous improvement, suggesting this has a very long life ahead! Chapeau to Mr. Chave!
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11/21/2020 - HHerr Likes this wine: 96 Points
Oh my god was this good. So rich and layered. The intensity was phenomenal. My first Chave Hermitage and it didn’t disappoint.
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8/4/2020 - Sleepy Dave wrote:
I thought this was pretty italian for the warmth on the nose and flavours on the palate. Barnyard, a bit dirty earth on the nose after breathing. Ink, darker fruits. It is fresh with light mint herbs. Nice acidity on the palate to carry the freshness and transparency, good flavours intensity but still pretty young and tight, Long persistent finish. Lovely.
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2/9/2020 - hajoha wrote: 93 Points
Chave Hermitage 2011.
Nydelig elegant sødmefull frukt.
Allerede relativt sømløs med flott frukt og balansert friskhet.
Vi er definitivt i ungdommen her, men tar ikke livet av deg å åpne en.
Meget lang ettersmak med ganske heftige tanniner.
Litt bitterhet.
Først i finish man kjenner at lagringsbehovet melder seg. 93p
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1/18/2020 - Tony Ling Likes this wine: 93 Points
Coincidentally trying this in a row in short interval. PNP into Zalto Burgundy glass (“Flower” day): Medium purplish ruby.
Consistent notes as previous tasted. A little more baby fat to be enjoyable. Need time to integrate.
93 points at this point.
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12/13/2019 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
HDH auction at Spiaggia; 12/13/2019-12/14/2019 (Chicago, IL): No. 7320. A big and rich wine, with that archetypal Chave polish on the nose. Layered with a mix of smoke, meat, and olives, but richly ornamented with a vast array initially black, and with air, more red fruit. The palate isn't as structured as some of the bigger vintages of this wine, and I'm thinking this will likely be a relatively younger drinking edition of this wine. Nonetheless, this isn't too shut down or hard at the moment and I'm more than happy to be opening this these days.
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12/8/2019 - Tony Ling Likes this wine: 93 Points
PNP into Zalto Burgundy glass (“Leaf into Fruit” day): Medium purplish ruby to the eyes.
Distinctive violets and roses notes. Purplish cherry and plum fruits. Slightly egg white reduction.
Rich spectrum of nice purplish fruits. Still young and quite a bit baby fat compared to the others especially the 1990 tasted alongside.
93-94 points.
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11/19/2019 - rlove wrote: 93 Points
Open from first pop but decanted nonetheless, with a sauvage, almost feral nose of gamey roast meat and dark fruit. Graceful and elegant on the palate, showing the best of Chave and the vintage, but blessedly also boasting excellent concentration, avoiding the dilution I see in other 2011s in the Northern Rhône. There's absolutely nothing wrong with drinking this today but it should reward medium-term aging.
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8/28/2019 - vinhonotte Likes this wine: 91 Points
Fine Wines SG - Rhône vs the World (Syrah/Shiraz) BYOB: A somewhat greenish woodish feel on the palate, and some blackberry and black cherry. A pretty good finish of dried flowers
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8/9/2019 - steinersing wrote: 94 Points
Great wine, depth, intensity.
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2/22/2019 - Kriz wrote: 95 Points
Yesterday I opended a bottle of '11 Chave Hermitage. It breathed around two hours in a decanter. Drank with a dry aged T-Bone steak. The wine one the nose immediately shows it's class. Big nose with herbs, black fruit, meat, licorice. Big palate, showing pretty well now. But there will be more. The wine overpowers the meat. The wine with the baked mushrooms is a perfect match. If you have more than one bottle, open one now and you will love it! excellent wine.
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2/19/2019 - rieslingchristoph wrote: 95 Points
Needs some more time! 95+
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2/3/2019 - Rezy13 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Super Bowl 2019 (Alpharetta, GA): Very youthful looking, bright reddish violet with bright rim; smoke, mushroom, violets, purple fruit, dusty earth, exotic spice, crunchy fruit, young, some cellar stank; lower acid, stank and violets continue onto the palate, concrete, grainy tannin, leathery, mushroom; very dense and needing time, seems like a strong influence of Brett but not intrusively so, dark fruit and somewhat crunch to the fruit led me to Southern- called '09 Pegau Capo; 94+.
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1/12/2019 - Ms. Bubblehead Likes this wine:
Drank it over two days. Initially I felt it was a bit rich on the nose, lots of smoked meat, black olives, cassis, riper dark berries, on the palate, it was quite a lot of spices, smoke, licorice and cassis, fruits were richer than I expected. On the second day, after more than 20 hours of opening, the wine showed a lot more minerals, along with light smoke, and Asian spices, minerality played a better role on the second day, on the palate, it was more balanced, fruits toned done a bit with more layers, the wine even had modest acidity into finish. It seemed that this bottle just needed more time to evolve, even for 2011 vintage.
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10/6/2018 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
Forward for Chave, the wine is fresh, spicy, pure, elegant and restrained. There is more depth here than you find most 2011 Northern Rhones, with a finesse-styled, ripe, spicy, red berry finish.
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8/26/2018 - mflesh wrote: 95 Points
Compared to the Bionic Frog, SQN B20, High Rock, and Sequel syrahs this one was enjoyed with, it seemed as though this one definitely had a bit more age on it than being a 2011 vintage. Completely different style. Amazingly soft, rounded and integrated for 2011 vintage. Hint of meat but rounded black fruit and spice. Like all of these wines enjoyed, it deserved a table of it's own. Immense structure here. This one seems to JUST be starting to come out of the gate.
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5/20/2018 - T.E.D. wrote: 92 Points
So hard to rate. Wine was very tight and almost inpenatrable with hard stone and new leather. Black peeler and old tire. Very difficult for me at this stage.
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5/6/2018 - danhenry11 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Leather, smoke, meat, sweet red fruit. Earthy. Complex and profound. Brilliant wine.
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3/1/2018 - Markus IWC wrote: 94 Points
JL Chave tasting, wine #9: earthy notes, stone, minerals, licorice, spices, smoke. Elegant fruit, early accessible but I would bury deep in cellar.
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2/9/2018 - wineappreciation wrote: 93 Points
Ink, smoke, earth, candied apple, wet stone, unripe blackberry, a beautiful and enticing nose; pure, pronounced, supple, graceful, smooth, very long finish indeed, beautiful and enticing on the late palate, sometimes seemingly chocolate coated; certainly a little young, a little dry, slightly tight but not as much as might be anticipated, lacking some complexity, but truly very pleasing
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7/29/2017 - OmiyaDrinker wrote: 94 Points
Yet Another Wine Group Hermitage Tasting: Fresh, pure aromas. Tight black pepper. Blackcurrant. Very delicate and elegant. A real beauty. Velvety mouthfeel and class in a glass.
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5/13/2017 - MC2 Wines wrote:
Weekend in London; 5/12/2017-5/13/2017 (Ledbury, Il Baretto, Hedonsim): Young wine. Very earthy and leather and all of that but also tons of fruit - mostly blackberry. Some brambles. Needs more time to pull together. I'm always a bit skeptical of Chave, but this seemed to have some good stuffing.
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2/17/2016 - galenico wrote: 91 Points
RODANO NORD (AIS MILANO): Degustato alla cieca. Vinosità acidula da frutti rossi non ancora maturi, ruggine, lacca e vernice. Frutto acidulo primario e vanigliato. Potenza espressiva ancora controllata e in embrione, al momento monotematica.
In bocca è giovanissimo, ma sa già il fatto suo. La scena al momento è monopolizzata da grappoli di bacche acidule di un colore verde che ricorda i raspi. Tannino graffiante sul finale sanguigno.
Attendere molti anni, un vero spreco oggi. 91-94
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12/29/2015 - mike5446g Likes this wine: 96 Points
Inviting Northern Rhone aromas of smoked meat with unmistakable syrah black pepper. Lingering bright herbal and dried floral note dance about the core. Dark cherry and blackberry emerge as the wine opens up; the fruit rolling in seamlessly on an asphalt road over the palate. Powerful grippy tannins and taut acidity make this one of the superstars of the'11 vintage. Following the dark, earthy grip is a fantastic finish of crushed mineral and savory woodsmoke. This bottling is interesting now, and you will not be disappointed if you pop one open, however, this will sing in ten years and go on for decades after.
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10/8/2015 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 95 Points
Chave-a-thon (Trentina's): This was outstanding and better than I expected. Still tight and in need of some age, but for the most part, drinking well. Inky purple in color, the darkest on my plate. Black pepper, black raspberries and roasted meats on the nose. On the palate, juicy, sweet black raspberry fruit. Much ripper than expected. The roasted meats carry thru to the palate. A long finish. This has decades left. If drinking now, give it some air if you can.
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10/3/2015 - CamWheeler wrote: 92 Points
Chave and co.: Stalks, cherry, spice, truffly earth and meat. The palate is in a similar vein, with earthy notes and plenty of spice. Good structure and drive, while I don't think this will turn into a top vintage, it has promise to improve rapidly over the medium term.
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5/26/2015 - SineQuaNon Likes this wine: 96 Points
Holy effin crap - this blew me away! This really is a first growth Northern Rhone! It ruled the otherwise beautiful 2011 Clape Cornas, but it was no contest really. From a so-so vintage this is world class level. Pronounced intensity, full body without being heavy, long finish, and probably most important of all; Extremely well balanced! There is nothing out of place with just the most intense northern rhone notes (Black cherries, blackberries, blackcurrants, bacon, smoke, pine, cloves spice, tar, cracked black/white/pink pepper) and a perfectly integrated oak regime providing additional smoky notes and a hint of vanilla. Even the tannins were not overpowering however that is possible! Mmmm wish I had a glass in front of me right now!
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4/22/2015 - llink wrote: 89 Points
8 Vintages of Chave tasted at VVW (2004-2011)
Groups #7 and my #7 wine of the tasting.
Meat, red currants, earth, and spice on the nose. Tannic and drying palate, somewhat angular and closed, with a mineral component. Not super dense when compared agains the 2010 and 2009 wines that were next in the tasting.
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2/7/2015 - Burgundy Al wrote:
Chevalier Wine Tasting (Chicago, IL): Tasting, brief note. Much like when tasted a few months ago, this is showing dense and powerful black fruit with a meaty character. Lots of black pepper, anise and dried spice. This needs lots of time in the back of the cellar.
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2/6/2015 - beezer6 wrote: 95 Points
Chevalier Wines First Tasting Group (Chevalier Wines - Chicago): Funk city. Absolutely awesome nose. Young and super tannic.
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11/18/2014 - Vino Me wrote: 97 Points
Tasted at the Knightsbridge event. The best red wine at the tasting. An extremely deep and multilayered wine. Aromas of cinnamon and spice box. On the palate there was vanilla, cedar, leather and currant. Long finish. Can only imagine what this will be like when it matures. 97 points.
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11/9/2014 - Burgundy Al wrote:
Knightsbridge Annual Holiday Burgundy/Champagne Tasting and Sale (Northbrook, IL): Tasting, brief note. First time trying this wine. Lots of blackberry with black pepper and licorice and a slight gamy note. Dense and powerful with firming structure. Less accessible, more cellar worthy than most 2011s. 94-96 point potential.
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7/30/2014 - David Paris (dbp) wrote: 94 Points
16 vintages of Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage, Rouge and Blanc (E&R Wine Shop, Portland OR): Very rich aromas. Spicy tar, and a nice acidic attack. Pretty and quite intense. Very rich and lush palate texture. Tart, with impressive intensity and acid. Huge round texture. Wonderful eruption of pretty acidity. A very pretty wine throughout.
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4/1/2014 - chatters wrote:
Working with wine 2014 seminar 1 - Rhone varieties (Sofitel, Sydney): Medium plus intensity aromas of black berry, charcuterie, black pepper, mineral notes - stone, quite concentrated also touches of Brett for me. On the plate the wine has medium plus body, and medium plus flavours of blackberry, crushed rocks, slight graphite then medium plus chewy tannin washes through accompanying the fruit and rock notes like an older brother, marshalling the wine towards it's long finish. It's quite simple, quite youthful but very good.
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