Wine Advisor
Domaine du Colombier, Hermitage Blanc 2007
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
It’s a damp squib of an opening, thankfully redeemed by a lovely 2007 Hermitage Blanc from Domaine du Colombier. This has a lightly burnished silver hue. The palate offers scents of peppermint and melted candle wax, with light pistachio aromas surfacing with aeration. The palate is fresh with a keen thread of acidity, though for the first hour, it is a little dour and lacks energy on the finish. Returning after a couple of hours, it finally delivers complexity with a resinous texture, wild peaches, dried honey, camomile and stem ginger notes. It is not a wine I would mature for much longer in my cellar, but it is drinking perfectly now and based on this bottle, do not be afraid to decant.
About the Producer
The continuing elevation of this Domaine into the lofty heights of Hermitage greatness is testament to the hard work of the tall, spindly owner Florent Viale. He gives his wines a prolonged maturation of a year and a half which he believes removes the need for filtration and prefers using oak tonneaux for this process rather than the smaller 225 litre barriques so as not to dampen terroir and fruit. As a result, both the Cuvée Gaby and Hermitage are powerful and wholesome but not without a touch of class. The latter wine comes from several parcels on the hill of Hermitages including Les Bessards. The grapes are destalked and Florent never uses more than 20% new oak. The wines are therefore a surprisingly elegant example of Hermitages.
