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m. chapoutier, hermitage, l'ermite rouge 2017
DECANTER
100
ROBERT PARKER'S WINE ADVOCATE
100

2017 m. chapoutier, hermitage, l'ermite rouge

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Why We're Buying

M. Chapoutier captures the best of the Hermitage appellation and distills it into a single bottle of wine. The biodynamic syrah produces a symphony of rich flavors and aromas. Wine critic Robert Parker has christened this $300+ red wine with three six perfect scores since 1996. (Fun Fact: M. Chapoutier also makes l'Emerite Blanc, which has earned the most 100-point ratings from Parker (11)).

Critics Scores

DECANTER
100

Decanter

Compelling fragrance despite its youth, remarkably fruity and open for a L’Ermite wine at this stage: lavender, orange, mint and fresh blackberry. Medium to full bodied, rich and mouth-coating yet sublimely fresh. Sprightly, saline tannins, super-fine but weighty. Very well balanced, with juicy acidity and hugely long. Serious thrust and soaring energy, this is white-knuckle stuff. This was made from 70-year-old Syrah vines planted on a high bank of decomposed granite and granitic sands, lieu-dit L’Ermite. Yields of 22 hl/ha. Completely destemmed, fermented in concrete; all matured for 18 months in large wooden tank, 25 of which is new oak. Drinking window 2025-2060.

ROBERT PARKER'S WINE ADVOCATE
100

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2017 Ermitage l'Ermite is equally astounding but a completely different expression of Hermitage. Somehow this combines the reservedness of le Pavillon with the generosity of le Méal, resulting in a wine that I can only describe as perfect. The pristine cassis fruit is remarkably pure, joined by complex notes of crushed stone, salted licorice and the slightest hints of fine-grained oak. It's full-bodied, concentrated and velvety in texture, with oodles of chewy but ripe tannins and a finish that goes on for minutes.

JEB DUNNUCK
98

Jeb Dunnuck

The 490-case 2017 Ermitage L’Ermite comes from a mix of granite and limestone soils and was brought up all in demi-muids. It offers a fresh, focused, chiseled style that has awesome minerality as well as crème de cassis, graphite, crushed violets, burning embers, and bacon fat that develops beautifully with air. With a huge, layered mid-palate, brilliant concentrated, ultra-fine tannins, and a finish that won't quit, it’s unquestionably one of the most impressive wines in the vintage.

WINE SPECTATOR
97

Wine Spectator

Ripe and dense, yet racy and defined in feel, with a stream of cherry, blackberry and cassis notes underscored by singed alder and iron accents. Lovely floral details run throughout before coalescing on the finish. Best from 2023 through 2038.

JAMES SUCKLING
96

James Suckling

This is a showy parcel that has delivered such attractive, ripe and concentrated dark cherries and plums in 2017 with abundant dark spices, pepper, grilled meat and flowers. Very plush, silky and open tannins carry a wealth of flavor. Long and regal with so much ripe dark berries and cherries on offer. Drink or hold.

VINOUS
96

Vinous

Inky violet color. Displays expansive aromas of dark berry preserves, pungent flowers, pipe tobacco and smoky minerals and licorice, cola and succulent herb nuances build in the glass. Broad, alluringly sweet and youthfully chewy in texture, offering intense blackberry, cherry-cola, fruitcake and bitter chocolate flavors and a suave candied violet flourish. Delivers a compelling interplay of power and energy and betrays no rough edges. Gains spiciness with air and finishes youthfully tannic and strikingly long, with resonating floral and mineral notes.