2018 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage

Community Tasting Notes (7) Avg Score: 93 points

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  10/1/2023 - alanr wrote: 88 Points

  Unusual nose for a Chave, with some ripe fruit compote, but also a bit of a cheesy sour note that's at best unattractive. Coming back later, it's distinctly the smell of Cheez-It crackers from the box; quite ripe on the palate, frankly that's about it, ripe, sweet, high toned fruit, I'm struggling to find any depth or complexity, though it's well balanced for what it is, with decent acidity, and some medium fine tannins. My prediction is that this just falls apart with age. Victim of the vintage, falling well short of the standards set for this wine.
  
  Coming back to this again a couple hours later, though it had already seen plenty of air. Yep, still has the distinct Cheez-It note, goldfish crackers. Sweet and ripe on the palate. Nothing like the insanely rich and ripe 2003 model on release, but no one would guess this to be a young Chave. Comes right up to the line of being syrupy, but doesn’t quite cross it. If this were a $30 Paso wine, I’d probably be happy with my purchase, but it’s a $300 Rhone benchmark.

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  7/1/2023 - cephomer Likes this wine: 94 Points

  Drank from magnum at Carbone a few nites ago. Notes from memory: Group Vegas dinner and wouldn't you know it one of our crowd bumps into an old pal, who happens to be Ed Sheeran, and he treated us to this lovely.
  Brief decant, unfortunately. There's black cherries and plums here in good amount. Also, lots of spice. Lovely, silky long finish. This is a bit, yet elegant, meaty, sexy wine that, while still quite young, is showing very nicely at present. I'd not touch this wine again for at least 5 years, but quite delicious right now.

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  6/21/2023 - oldwines Likes this wine: 95 Points

  Tasted at a retailer-sponsored tasting in NYC. Gorgeous bottle of wine that is still an infant (wine infanticide?) Rich, dark, clearly new oak-influenced. Near perfect balance, however. Beautiful fruit, dark plum, black cherry, spices, game meat. Great depth and length. Plenty of "stuffing". Needs aging to be at its best in my view. But, this is a beauty that will only get better in a good cellar.

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  3/27/2022 - johnh1001 wrote: 93 Points

  Pure juicy dark fruit. Great silky texture and balance

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  11/10/2021 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 91 Points

  "Imposter Night" (Los Olivos, CA): Served blind as the authentic Northern Rhone entry alongside an "imposter" from Jonata. I struggled to enjoy more than a few sips of this wine, which came across as overly polished and manipulated. Some wondered if it wasn't Pinot, in fact. Maybe with time that serves this wine well, but it does seem to be an awfully big contrast with the older Chaves I have previously enjoyed so thoroughly. I pegged it as entry level Chapoutier rather than being from elsewhere.

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