This legendary wine is produced from multiple plots on the famous l'hermitage hill.
Bessards: The backbone of Chave’s Hermitage year in and out. One of the most famous vineyards in the AOC, Bessards is based on steep, granite hillside soils and provides a strong mineral note to the wine. Beaumes: A long, narrow vineyard running north to south on the midpoint of the hill, Beaumes tends to produce lighter, more fruit-forward Syrah. Hermite: This vineyard is located at the very top of the hill of Hermitage and surrounds the Chapel located there. It has a range of soil types, including granite and loess. Chave often vinifies different lots from with in Hermite separately. Péléat: A monopole, with stony, sandy soil, Péléat provides wines that are firmer and more complex. Méal: A fairly large vineyard just to the east of Bessards. Méal is based on looser, alluvial soils and produces richer, riper wines with plenty of structure.
Vinification: Generally 100% destemmed, as the Hermitage is meant to be about the expression of the individual vineyards and soils and Jean-Louis believes that stems have a tendency to level out the differences. Fermentation in wood tonneaux and stainless steel tanks. Aged in barriques for 30 months.
98 Points JS: An incredibly refined, elegant, floral and silky Hermitage. The nose shows notes of dark cherries, forest berries, sweet spices, forest floor and a hint of roasted meat. Medium-bodied with finely grained tannins. It’s very 2021, with freshness and brightness. Violets caress the palate and the pristine, lively finish with length and a touch of pepper. Drink or hold.
96 Points Decanter:A tasting of the constituent lieux-dits before blending was as instructive as ever. Péléat was smooth, silky and red-fruited with good acidity; Beaumes slightly meatier, a little less concentrated than a typical year, but with good tannic drive; L'Ermite was serious, dry and mineral; Bessards very strict, with tight, rigid tannins. The final blend is likely to produce a structural rather than generous style of Hermitage, with tannins that will need a long time in bottle to settle. This will be ascetic in youth, then complex and textural with age. (MW)
94-96 Jeb Dunnick: As is usually the case, I was able to taste the new vintage in its individual components, which is an incredible lesson in the terroir of Hermitage, and I continue to believe this is one of the most educational tastings I do every year. All of the samples for the 2021 Hermitage rated between 93 and 95, and this should be a classic, more medium-bodied, elegant, yet still substantial Hermitage. All of the single parcels show classic, textbook characteristics and possess ripe tannins and outstanding purity of fruit. I suspect this wine will be in the mold of the 2014, possibly the 2004. It should benefit from just short-term cellaring and have two decades of longevity.
