You must be 21 years or older to enter this site. By clicking Enter you verify that you are 21 years of age or older.
The Chave family has been growing wine in the Northern Rhone since 1481. Jean-Louis joined his father in 1992 and currently represents 16 generations of unbroken lineage committed to the production of some of the finest Syrah, Marsanne, and Roussanne on the planet! The Key to these long-lived wines of great purity, elegance, power, and finesse, is the family's winemaking pedigree and remarkable blending skills. The Chave family has never released a single vineyard or cru Hermitage instead cultivates the perfect blend of vineyards crafting the most prodigious Syrah wine in the world, year after year.
“The Chave line ... could make a fair claim to be France’s winemaking royal family: in no other of France’s great terroirs is the largest individual landholder so deeply rooted in time and place, so supremely competent, and so modest a custodian of the insights and craftsmanship of the past.” ~ Andrew Jefford, The New France
The Chave’s methods for all their winemaking are traditional farming, super low yields (focused on quality), full ripeness, and minimal manipulation. Their unmatched meticulousness continues through five centuries to render venerable expressions of the purest of Rhône terroir! Chave's family talents passed down from generation to generation allows them to produced unmatched wines in even the most difficult vintages. As the largest landowner on the hill of Hermitage, the Chave family's consistency and commitment to crafting the world's finest Syrah has been unmatched over five centuries.
Fermentation 100% in oak barrel. Aged in barriques for 24 months.
Tasting Notes: 85% Marsanne and 15% Roussanne. The 2017 vintage is redolent with white flowers and honeysuckle. Increased acidity for the vintage results in a taut structure and incredible length. Notes of orange blossom and lemon curd.
In the end, I'm unable to definitely say that the 2017 Hermitage Blanc is better than the stupendous 2016. Of course, I sampled it just three days after it was bottled, so I've appended the + to my rating, as there's a possibility the wine may have been affected by that process. It's gently toasty but dominated at this stage by forward melon and pineapple fruit. Full-bodied and incredibly rich yet balanced, it unfolds in waves of flavor and texture, lingering for what seems like minutes on the finish. Hit it soon to enjoy its youthful opulence, or put it aside for 10-12 years. ~98+ Robert Parker
Cut from the same cloth, the 2017 Hermitage Blanc is stunning stuff, and Chave lovers should unquestionably have bottles of this in the cellar. Bottled in August of this year, its medium gold hue is followed by a mammoth bouquet of quince, flower oil, buttered almonds, and brioche. Every bit as good on the palate, it’s full-bodied, has a stacked mid-palate, flawless balance, and incredible minerality as well as length on the finish. It’s insanely good today, and while this cuvée can shut down, I wonder if this ever will. My money is on this drinking fabulously well for 25+ years. Life is too short not to drink as much Chave Hermitage Blanc as possible! ~98 Jeb Dunnuck
Tasted as a set of components. Attractive expressive fruits in the peach and dried-pear zone. Lemon citrus with savory aromas of spiced biscuits and river stones too. Powerful stone-fruit flavors, building to ripe dark peaches. The texture runs from chalky to pithy and right through to a more compressed stony finish. Super long, complete and focused. White Hermitage is all about texture and this is a lesson in exactly that. Barrel sample. ~95-96 James Suckling
Jean-Louis' 2017 white Hermitage is a rich, almost buttered style with considerable fat and an opulent texture, but remains fresh. A tasting of four component parts - Péléat, Rocoules clay, Rocoules limestone, and L'Ermite - shows an unusually rich and lush style. The Ermite component does however have a straight, lean, rising floral style to counterbalance the riper, rounder Péléat. Luxurious and cozy rather than focused and dynamic. ~97 Decanter
***Free Shipping on 6 or More Bottles of this Wine***
You're
bottles away from free shipping.