Wine Advisor
Domaine du Colombier, Hermitage Rouge 2018
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Joe Czerwinski
The 2018 Hermitage comes from tiny parcels in les Beaumes, Péléat and les Dionnières and incorporates 60% to 70% whole bunches. It's a big, powerful wine that shows notes of roasted plums and ripe cherries, yet the plentiful tannins are silky, lending an elegant touch to the lingering finish.
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.
