Hermitage is one of France's great wine legends. The appellation applies to both white and red wines, with white wines made from Marsanne and Roussanne accounting for only a fifth of production. Ideally, white Hermitage can be just as majestic as its red brother: concentrated, often more white-fruited than yellow-fruited, especially when young, powerful, usually somewhat smoky from the wood, deep, multi-layered as well as with enormous minerality. With maturity, the wines become more intense, spicy and bacony and often show distinct floral and waxy aromas. Then it also becomes clear whether the wine has enough finesse for a harmonious maturity, or whether it slips into the rather rustic, which does happen. Even then, the wines are still impressive, but they are not always fun.
With red wines, maturity is far less of a gamble. The lifespan of a first-class Hermitage can be confidently measured in decades, during which it reveals more and more of its layers of flavour. At the same time, the wines are usually far less hard and forbidding in their youth than they are said to be. The red Hermitage, made from Syrah and sometimes small amounts of the white varieties, can be stunningly juicy even in its youth, firm, deep, complex and, for all its power and concentration, extremely fine, polished and full of tension, but at this early stage one is hardly ever aware of all its flavourful dimensions. A great Hermitage drunk at the ideal stage of maturity is one of those experiences that should happen to every wine lover at least once in their life. Fortunately, good examples mature so slowly and harmoniously that they can be enjoyed at their best for a very long time.
We have currently tasted a selection of 18 wines, seven white and eleven red - as always blind and several times over a longer period of time. Links to the wines with detailed tasting notes as well as the producers can be found at the end of the lists. We have also created videos for the post-tastings, which can be viewed on our Youtube channel here and here.
Domaine Belle
— Rhône
2019 Hermitage AOC
60.00 €
Domaine du Colombier
— Rhône
2019 Hermitage AOC blanc
55.00 €
Chapoutier - Sélections Parcellaires - Maison M. Chapoutier
— Rhône
2017 Hermitage AOC "Chante-Alouette"
37.40 €
Delas Frères
— Rhône
2020 Hermitage AOC Domaine des Tourettes, blanc
91 WP
excellent
Cave de Tain L'Hermitage
— Rhône
2017 Hermitage AOC "Nobles Rives"
42.00 €
Maison Guigal
— Rhône
2018 Hermitage AOC Blanc
38.00 €
Domaine des Remizières
— Rhône
2019 Hermitage AOC "Cuvée Emilie" Blanc
43.00 €
Domaine du Colombier
— Rhône
2019 Hermitage AOC rouge
55.00 €
Chave Yann
— Rhône
2018 Hermitage AOC
100.00 €
Cave de Tain L'Hermitage
— Rhône
2015 Hermitage AOC "Gambert de Loche"
90.00 €
Chapoutier - Sélections Parcellaires - Maison M. Chapoutier
— Rhône
2017 Hermitage AOC "Monier de la Sizeranne"
63.85 €
Delas Frères
— Rhône
2018 Hermitage AOC Domaine des Tourettes, rouge
93 WP
excellent
53.00 €
Delas Frères
— Rhône
2017 Hermitage AOC Domaine des Tourettes, rouge
93 WP
excellent
53.00 €
Domaine Belle
— Rhône
2018 Hermitage AOC
65.00 €
S.A. J. Vidal-Fleury
— Rhône
2019 Hermitage AOC
53.15 €
Domaine des Remizières
— Rhône
2018 Hermitage AOC Cuvée "Emilie" Rouge
48.00 €
Maison Guigal
— Rhône
2018 Hermitage AOC Rouge
42.00 €
Cave de Tain L'Hermitage
— Rhône
2017 Hermitage AOC "Nobles Rives"
40.00 €
