Jean-Louis Chave, Hermitage 2011

vinous95

Reviewed by: Josh Raynolds

This wine was still broken out into five different pre-blended components when I visited in November but should be in bottle by now. #1: Intense red fruit and floral qualities, with a bright mineral underpinning. #2: Wilder and spicier, with zesty red fruit and star anise nuances and a touch of smokiness. #3: More dark and brooding, showing powerful bitter cherry and cassis qualities and strong back-end power. #4: Distinctly mineral-driven, precise red fruit and floral pastille aromas and flavors, with a deeper note of cola in the background. #5: Powerful cassis and bitter cherry aromas and flavors pick up spiciness and floral character with a little air. The most densely packed of these samples but showing surprising finishing vivacity and cut. Jean-Louis thinks that this wine will be a little strict for a while after bottling and hopes that people don't jump too quickly into it simply because 2011 is perceived as an easy vintage.

vinous94

Reviewed by: Josh Raynolds

Tasted in components: #1, from Beaume: Tough to read initially, displaying scents of dried cherry, cassis and smoked meat. Chewy and deeply pitched, with sneaky spice and mineral notes coming up with air. #2, from Peleat: Fresher and more red-fruity, with intense spiciness and a hint of candied violet. Shows an appealing silkiness. #3, from L'Hermite: Explosively perfumed bouquet evokes candied red fruits, fresh flowers and minerals, with a hint of Asian spices. Juicy and precise, with strong finishing cut and focus. #4, from Meal: Exotic, floral accented red berry preserve and spicecake aromas and flavors. Sappy and precise, with excellent finishing lift and cut. #5, from Bessards: The wildest of this set, with deep cherry and dark berry character and impressive power. Finishes smoky and long, with resonating spiciness. The bottled wine should be surprisingly dense and dark-fruited for the year, with solid structure and the capacity to age.

robert_parker96

Reviewed by: Joe Czerwinski

A structured, almost wiry wine, Chave's 2011 Hermitage remains a bit tight and tannic. That said, it still offers plenty of pleasure and has developed lovely aromas of leather, cured meat, redcurrants and black olives. Medium to full-bodied, with a rich, velvety feel on the finish, it should continue to drink well for at least another decade and probably longer. While it lacks the generosity of the very best vintages, it's a fine expression of Hermitage.

robert_parker98

Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.

The 2011 Hermitage stood out as one of the most brilliant, singular wines of the vintage. Every cuvee was special, going from the elegance, delicacy and finesse of Peleat and Les Beaumes to the extraordinary minerality, graphite, iodine and power of l’Ermite, to the blockbuster fruit and intensity of Le Meal and Les Bessards. Les Bessards provides the tremendous substance, backbone and intensity to this extraordinary wine, which looks to be another impressive wine from a vintage that rarely achieved this level of quality. Resembling the 1991 Hermitage, only better, it should evolve for 20-25 years. (Not yet released) I have had the privilege of tasting at this brilliant family-owned estate for over 30 years. During that time, I have seen first-hand the glory of a true evolution from father Gerard Chave to his son, Jean-Louis, and of course, the Chave family has been doing this since 1472. It is one of those small but world-class wine enterprises that is truly inspiring. Tasting through the different vineyards before their newest red and white Hermitages are blended is an education in the different terroirs of that famous dome of largely decomposed granite mixed with gravel and clay. Jean-Louis Chave characterized the 2011 vintage as challenging, where one had to perform draconian crop-thinning and selections in the winery. All the St.-Joseph vineyards are located on steep hillsides near the Chaves’ home village of Mauves, to as far north as St.-Jean de Muzols and Ste.-Epine as well as those once known as Clos Florentin. Importer: Langdon-Shiverick, Los Angeles, CA; tel. (213) 483-5900

robert_parker98

Reviewed by: Jeb Dunnuck

The 2011 Hermitage (also still in barrel), in comparison, is more focused and straight, with a slightly more serious feel to its tannin profile and overall structure. All of the samples (again, tasted in individual components) were beautifully perfumed, with the Les Bessards (which will make up the bulk of the blend) showing surprising density and concentration in a vintage that generally produced more up-front and supple wines. A serious 2011 that will certainly be one of the stars of the vintage, it should be reasonably approachable on release and have an easy two decades of longevity. One of the highlight visits during my time spent working in the Northern Rhone, Jean-Louis Chave (who is often called “The Pope of Hermitage” by others) makes some of the most profound wines in the world today. As he says, “We don’t make Chave, we make Hermitage,” and there are few things more educational, when trying to understand this storied appellation, than to taste through each of Jean-Louis’s different Hermitage plots from barrel. The striking minerality and austere cut of the l’Ermite parcel is in stark contrast to the voluptuousness and texture that’s found in the Le Meal (which is just down the slope); and both are completely different from the silky, polished and perfumed Peleat lieu-dit. Despite the notoriety here, Jean-Louis remains one of the most humble and straight talking winemakers out there, and his wines deserve a place in any wine lover’s cellar. One of the highlight visits during my time spent working in the Northern Rhone, Jean-Louis Chave (who is often called “The Pope of Hermitage” by others) makes some of the most profound wines in the world today. As he says, “We don’t make Chave, we make Hermitage,” and there are few things more educational, when trying to understand this storied appellation, than to taste through each of Jean-Louis’s different Hermitage plots from barrel. The striking minerality and austere cut of the l’Ermite parcel is in stark contrast to the voluptuousness and texture that’s found in the Le Meal (which is just down the slope); and both are completely different from the silky, polished and perfumed Peleat lieu-dit. Despite the notoriety here, Jean-Louis remains one of the most humble and straight talking winemakers out there, and his wines deserve a place in any wine lover’s cellar. Importer: Langdon-Shiverick, Los Angeles, CA; tel. (213) 483-5900

robert_parker96

Reviewed by: Jeb Dunnuck

Tasted from bottle, the 2011 Hermitage sports a ruby/purple color to go with an awesome bouquet of sweet cassis, dried flowers, spice-box, ground pepper and crushed stone. One of the more serious, focused and structured 2011s, it has fabulous concentration, sweet tannin and a seamless texture. Give it 5-6 years and enjoy bottles over the following 2 decades or more.