Lunch at Bacata. Tasted blind. Drank in Grassl 1855. Appearance is clear, deep intensity, ruby colour. Legs. Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of fine earth, stone mineral dust, blackberries, black cherries, dark red cherries, fine integrated wood, light musky animal and leather. Developing. On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium+ alcohol (14%), fine high tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of dark plums, blackberries, black cherries, fine earth, dusty crushed stones minerality, pepper spice, meat. Long finish. Very good quality. Oak from few years ago all nicely integrated in now. Initially was tight and needed quite a lot of air in decanter to open up. Should be slowly entering a good drinking window.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A wine of great finesse which seems to have just entered its drinking window. Very typical northern Rhone nose with notes of violets, leather and forest fruit. Has freshness with a some tertiary aromas begining to develop. Silky on the palate with firm structure and long finish. A wine that combines elegance with intensity and power. Excellent now but will only become better with time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This wine makes a poor excuse for a California Syrah. Over ripe, austere, oaky, and soulless, it’s a waste of money and time. Tasted blind with a 2004 Pavillon and 2004 Voge Cornas Vieilles Vignes this wine failed to show up. Stay away. I don’t have faith age will help, it will just get old. Frankly, Pavillon is in a different league then other Chapoutier wines. Not sure why L’Ermite is getting the hype.
Update: had a little vial sitting in my wine fridge for two weeks and it’s shockingly not oxidized at all. It’s not much better than before either 😭 but suggests maybe this wine just needs a lot of time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bright, lifted, stony, fresh and vibrant, with a peppery red fruit profile, texturally, the wine is fine. It is concentrated, clean and youthful. At least another decade or more of cellaring is warranted.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Hannah’s 1st Birthday @ MD’s: Black fruits, blue fruits, wild berries. Medium bodied and silky on the palate. Vibrant and lively, with some acidity. This should improve with more time. The quality is there.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Monster of a wine. Deep, dark fruit. Good tannic spine but overwhelmed by the fruit at this stage. Round in the mouth, with dark berries, richness, and subtle plumminess. Drank after airing 3 hrs; double decanted. Paired well with lamb stew. This wine would benefit with another 10-20 years...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Chapoutier Ermitage Tasting (Alpharetta, GA): Similar color to the '05 Meal; a very new smell to this one, almost jammy fruit, plum jam, oak vanilla, fresh but may be heading towards a sur maturité, white pepper, oak, dense, old vine savoriness, palpable minerality, powerful, lower acid; needs time.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted blind, from bottle. Clear, deep ruby. On the nose, this had beautifully clean flavours of red cherry, red plum, licorice, sweet spice and vanilla oak, as well as some earth and olive just starting to show. Medium(+) acidity, medium(+) body, medium(+) intensity of sweet red cherry and plum, along with licorice, milk chocolate and sweet spice. Medium(+) fine-grained tannins (a touch less than the La Chapelles), and a long finish. A very smooth and elegant Hermitage rouge. 14% alcohol, but this was hardly noticeable. This is just starting to evolve and - whilst good to drink already - should improve in a few years' time. Better yet, try it in a decade!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Hermitage Session (Extra Space): Tasted blind. Drank from bottle over 3 hours. Appearance is clear, deep intensity, purple colour. Legs. Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of licorice, toasty chocolaty oak, sweet spice, earth, black olives, red fruit hiding beneath. Developing. On the palate, dry, medium+ acidity, medium+ alcohol (14%), fine high tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of sweet red plums, concentrated red cherries, sweet spice, milk chocolate, licorice. Long finish. Very good quality. The fear on the nose was that there could be too much oak influence, but on the palate this reassures with its balance. Still young now, this will only improve with further ageing. Lots of upside potential.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Northern Rhone with Jordan Mackay (SF Wine Center): Moderate ruby to a garnet rim. Amazingly different nose - ripe with integrated savory Brett, sweet rich espresso oak, savory tamari development, slight acetaldehyde (bruised apples), ripe blackberry, ripe blueberry fudge, gingerbread. Medium body, medium plus alcohol, medium plus acid (much lower than the Saint Cosme). Balanced but a bit ripe to me. Medium plus tannins - chewy and rounded. Long finish. 9-9.5
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Reminds of the the Guillies Cornas from Rosenthal. Strong and pronouced raspberry fruit. Restrained or just not that complex? We (or I) think its just restrained. Palate is light and lilth. Actually, very tight on the back end. Opened at about two hours ago. We shall see.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
WS NYWE Chapoutier Ermitage tasting (Marriott Marquis): Full purple color. medium feint nose of red cherry and cranberry. Nice focused spicy red fruit. More gravitas here with nice balanced structure. Still young of course.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
1/2/2024 - Rani Does not like this wine: 88 Points
Tasted blind. Floral and fruity nose, but on the palate it is a little warm and lacking structure and too seeet. Disappointing.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/20/2023 - Derek Darth Taster wrote: 94 Points
Lunch at Bacata. Tasted blind. Drank in Grassl 1855.
Appearance is clear, deep intensity, ruby colour. Legs.
Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of fine earth, stone mineral dust, blackberries, black cherries, dark red cherries, fine integrated wood, light musky animal and leather. Developing.
On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium+ alcohol (14%), fine high tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of dark plums, blackberries, black cherries, fine earth, dusty crushed stones minerality, pepper spice, meat. Long finish.
Very good quality. Oak from few years ago all nicely integrated in now. Initially was tight and needed quite a lot of air in decanter to open up. Should be slowly entering a good drinking window.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/20/2022 - Stefanos T. Likes this wine: 96 Points
A wine of great finesse which seems to have just entered its drinking window. Very typical northern Rhone nose with notes of violets, leather and forest fruit. Has freshness with a some tertiary aromas begining to develop. Silky on the palate with firm structure and long finish. A wine that combines elegance with intensity and power. Excellent now but will only become better with time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/14/2020 - Bordeaux_Jon Does not like this wine: 88 Points
This wine makes a poor excuse for a California Syrah. Over ripe, austere, oaky, and soulless, it’s a waste of money and time. Tasted blind with a 2004 Pavillon and 2004 Voge Cornas Vieilles Vignes this wine failed to show up. Stay away. I don’t have faith age will help, it will just get old. Frankly, Pavillon is in a different league then other Chapoutier wines. Not sure why L’Ermite is getting the hype.
Update: had a little vial sitting in my wine fridge for two weeks and it’s shockingly not oxidized at all. It’s not much better than before either 😭 but suggests maybe this wine just needs a lot of time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/20/2020 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
Bright, lifted, stony, fresh and vibrant, with a peppery red fruit profile, texturally, the wine is fine. It is concentrated, clean and youthful. At least another decade or more of cellaring is warranted.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/16/2020 - DBenke wrote: 93 Points
Needs more time. Nice but needs automatics
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/15/2020 - dnnk88 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Wine Night @ Imperial Great World City!: This is still very tight but the foundations are there. I would give this at least 3 - 5 more years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/14/2020 - dnnk88 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Hannah’s 1st Birthday @ MD’s: Black fruits, blue fruits, wild berries. Medium bodied and silky on the palate. Vibrant and lively, with some acidity. This should improve with more time. The quality is there.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/1/2020 - aChave wrote: 94 Points
Monster of a wine. Deep, dark fruit. Good tannic spine but overwhelmed by the fruit at this stage. Round in the mouth, with dark berries, richness, and subtle plumminess. Drank after airing 3 hrs; double decanted. Paired well with lamb stew. This wine would benefit with another 10-20 years...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/15/2019 - peternelson wrote: flawed
corked
Dirty Dozen N. Rhone tasting at Taylors.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/12/2017 - robferguson1 wrote: 94 Points
Wasn’t concentrating when drinking as stressed, sacrilege !
But was very tasty , rich and rounded
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/25/2017 - Rezy13 Likes this wine:
Chapoutier Ermitage Tasting (Alpharetta, GA): Similar color to the '05 Meal; a very new smell to this one, almost jammy fruit, plum jam, oak vanilla, fresh but may be heading towards a sur maturité, white pepper, oak, dense, old vine savoriness, palpable minerality, powerful, lower acid; needs time.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/7/2017 - ozyloy Likes this wine: 94 Points
Tasted blind, from bottle.
Clear, deep ruby.
On the nose, this had beautifully clean flavours of red cherry, red plum, licorice, sweet spice and vanilla oak, as well as some earth and olive just starting to show.
Medium(+) acidity, medium(+) body, medium(+) intensity of sweet red cherry and plum, along with licorice, milk chocolate and sweet spice. Medium(+) fine-grained tannins (a touch less than the La Chapelles), and a long finish.
A very smooth and elegant Hermitage rouge. 14% alcohol, but this was hardly noticeable. This is just starting to evolve and - whilst good to drink already - should improve in a few years' time. Better yet, try it in a decade!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/7/2017 - Derek Darth Taster wrote: 94 Points
Hermitage Session (Extra Space): Tasted blind. Drank from bottle over 3 hours.
Appearance is clear, deep intensity, purple colour. Legs.
Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of licorice, toasty chocolaty oak, sweet spice, earth, black olives, red fruit hiding beneath. Developing.
On the palate, dry, medium+ acidity, medium+ alcohol (14%), fine high tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of sweet red plums, concentrated red cherries, sweet spice, milk chocolate, licorice. Long finish.
Very good quality. The fear on the nose was that there could be too much oak influence, but on the palate this reassures with its balance. Still young now, this will only improve with further ageing. Lots of upside potential.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/8/2016 - RajivAyyangar wrote: 92 Points
Northern Rhone with Jordan Mackay (SF Wine Center): Moderate ruby to a garnet rim. Amazingly different nose - ripe with integrated savory Brett, sweet rich espresso oak, savory tamari development, slight acetaldehyde (bruised apples), ripe blackberry, ripe blueberry fudge, gingerbread.
Medium body, medium plus alcohol, medium plus acid (much lower than the Saint Cosme). Balanced but a bit ripe to me. Medium plus tannins - chewy and rounded. Long finish.
9-9.5
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/8/2012 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
In the "regular" rediel glass it gave me allot of dark red fruit. In the hermitage glass much more tart red underripe fruit, like Faury cornas.
Palate is tight but structured and elegant. Terribly dry and hard finish.
Others are talking about these are "mouthwatering" or very much structure. Much like a Riesling would be a "structural" white.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/8/2012 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Reminds of the the Guillies Cornas from Rosenthal. Strong and pronouced raspberry fruit. Restrained or just not that complex? We (or I) think its just restrained. Palate is light and lilth. Actually, very tight on the back end. Opened at about two hours ago. We shall see.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/26/2007 - winefool wrote: 94 Points
WS NYWE Chapoutier Ermitage tasting (Marriott Marquis): Full purple color. medium feint nose of red cherry and cranberry. Nice focused spicy red fruit. More gravitas here with nice balanced structure. Still young of course.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment