Wine Advisor
M. Chapoutier, Ermitage Le Pavillon 2016
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Joe Czerwinski
A 30-year wine, the 2016 Ermitage le Pavillon is inky in color, displays the essence of crushed rock on the nose, offers flavors of dark chocolate, espresso and scorched meat on the palate and lingers forever on the finish. This full-bodied, intensely concentrated and tannic wine represents the essence of Les Bessards. Looking at my notes, the rating may well prove to be conservative.
Reviewed by: Josh Raynolds
Brilliant purple. Highly expressive black and blue fruit scents are complemented by building floral pastille, exotic spice and smoky mineral flourishes. Sweet and penetrating in the mouth, offering deeply concentrated black raspberry, boysenberry and spicecake flavors that become more lively on the back half. Shows outstanding clarity and minerally cut on the strikingly long finish, which features fine-grained tannins and resonating florality.
Reviewed by: Josh Raynolds
Full purple. Heady, spice- and mineral-accented black and blue fruit, exotic spice, olive and incense aromas show superb clarity and pick up hints of woodsmoke, mocha and candied licorice with aeration. Sweet, seamless and penetrating on the palate, offering intense boysenberry, cherry liqueur, spicecake and cola flavors and a touch of salty olive paste. Deepens steadily on the strikingly persistent finish, which features polished tannins and resonating floral and blue fruit qualities.
Reviewed by: Joe Czerwinski
Aged entirely in barriques (25% new), the 2016 Ermitage le Pavillon shows only a hint of warm pencil shavings on the nose, beautifully setting up notes of fresh blackcurrants. Full-bodied, concentrated and plush across the mid-palate, it turns rich and velvety on the nearly endless finish, marked by savory notes of beef, licorice and espresso. If you wish to catch a glimpse of this wine's greatness, it would be no crime to open a bottle upon release, as I suspect it will close down for a number of years soon afterward.
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.
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