Wine Advisor
M. Chapoutier, Ermitage Le Meal Blanc 2000
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
A lovely nose of candle wax, banana skin, pineapple and minerals. Very pure with wonderful delineation. The palate has moderate acidity, quite waxy with a touch of wet wool (like a Chenin Blanc.) Honey and lanoline take over towards the finish. Very intellectual, a wine you do not want to spit out. Stunning. Tasted May 2006.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
From the renowned vineyard of Le Meal (more famous for its reds than whites), the stunning 2000 Ermitage Le Meal represents a singular expression of white Hermitage. Offering up honeysuckle characteristics, gobs of fruit and glycerin, and more fat than the Cuvee de l’Oree, it is huge in the mouth, very buttery, and is a total hedonistic turn-on. I suspect additional nuances will develop as it ages. It will provide an enormous mouthful of wine over the next 4-5 years, and should keep for 40-50 years. These uncompromising offerings from a young genius are not meant for consumers who want something to drink immediately. They are the essence of bio-dynamically farmed vineyard sites cropped incredibly low, given extended fermentations with indigenous yeasts, and rarely touched until they go into the bottle unfined and unfiltered. In most vintages, the wines are not even racked off their lees, which only adds to their natural style. These are truly remarkable wines, but for most readers, patience is the operative rule as they generally need a good 8-10 years to strut their stuff. Once moribund, over the last 12 years, this firm has become one of the reference points for nearly all the Rhone Valley appellations since the brash yet immensely talented Michel Chapoutier took over in the late eighties. The single vineyard offerings are as good as Rhone Valley wines can be. Moreover, Chapoutier continues to upgrade the quality of those wines offered in more significant quantities than the 500 or so cases each of the single vineyard offerings. Importer: Paterno Imports, Lake Bluff, IL; tel. (847) 604-8900
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The amazing 2000 Ermitage Le Meal possesses huge levels of glycerin, intensity, and concentration, the likes of which I have never before tasted in a dry white Hermitage. It is hard to say where this wine is going, or how long it will take to get there, but this should be a riveting example for true connoisseurs. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2060+? Along with Gerard and Jean-Louis Chave, Chapoutier is producing the finest expressions of white Hermitage. His single vineyard cuvees are to die for if you like these eccentric, idiosyncratic, mammoth dry whites. Importer: Paterno Imports, Lake Bluff, IL; tel. (847) 604-89000
Reviewed by: Jeb Dunnuck
Bigger and richer than the '01, the sensational 2000 Ermitage le Meal Blanc knocks it out of the park with its buttered peach, wood smoke, orange liqueur, honey and hazelnut-driven bouquet. A wine that should make any Hermitage Blanc lover's knees weak, this full-bodied, voluptuous and concentrated effort has fabulous purity and a blockbuster finish. Totally hedonistic, it still has another 2-3 decades of longevity.
About the Producer
Founded in 1808, M. Chapoutier owns 175 hectares of vines in five appellations in the Rhone Valley and is now run by the energetic and brilliant Michel Chapoutier. Since Michel started running the estate, the quality of the winemaking has improved very quickly and the philosophy of winemaking has changed considerably. Michel Chapoutier's achievements caused an instant sensation in the winemaking world and he completely changed the way Chapoutier wines were made and the winemaking process, eventually making wines to rival those made by Marcel Guigal, one of the best winemakers in the Rhone Valley. The vineyards of Château Sapoutier range from the Rhone Valley to Châteauneuf-du-Pape, with a number of quality vineyards planted with Syrah, Grenache, Marsanne, Roussanne and other major grape varieties. The winery is "mono-varietal" (i.e. making wines from a single variety), for example, all Syrah for the Châteauneuf-du-Rotie wines, all Marsanne for the Hermitage whites and all Chateauneuf-du-Pape wines. The wines of Chateauneuf-du-Pape are all Grenache. Château Sapoutier has worked tirelessly to improve the quality of its wines, even though each single vineyard produces far more than the 500 cases of fine wine. Since 1989, Château Sapoutier has been using biodynamic farming and winemaking methods with the aim of producing wines that are the purest and closest to the natural terroir. Every decision, every step of the viticultural and winemaking process is designed to add to the terroir, varietal character and vintage identity of the wines. Only wild yeasts are used for fermentation and the wines are made in small oak barrels. The best red and white wines are not clarified or filtered before bottling.
