M. Chapoutier
Tain L’Hermitage, Rhône, France
chapoutier@chapoutier.com
Passing through the Rhône Valley on the way down to the Luberon, it would have been criminal to pass by Maison Chapoutier’s tasting room. Once again our visit overlapped with that of Robert Parker, which was a great opportunity to taste some wines not ordinarily available. Unfortunately we were time constrained by the long drive south still ahead of us, so my notes are brief.
Chapoutier labels the most prestigious wines from the hill of Hermitage “Ermitage”. These wines are not cheap, but the high end vineyard bottlings are some of the most profound wines I have ever tasted. Sadly prices have risen sharply since I first started following Chapoutier in the 1990’s, and I am not convinced that some of the lesser generic appellation bottlings are in any way worth the price. The Rasteau 2005 proved a nice exception; this was tasted separately but I include the note for completeness, along with an older vintage of Ermitage De l’Orée drunk recently.
Michel Chapoutier’s forthright views on biodynamic cultivation are well known. I once had the pleasure of dinner with him in Oxford some years ago, at which he espoused these views for most of the evening. While I remain to be convinced by the evidence base for biodynamic viticulture, our dining companions (including an evolutionary biologist and PhD student in biological science) took scepticism to a whole new level. Thankfully on this occasion the biodynamic preaching went unchallenged, at least allowing us to enjoy dinner!
Tasted at Maison Chapoutier:
Invitare 2007 (Condrieu) €28.70
Open, highly aromatic. Fresh; higher acidity than usual, almost crisp on the palate. High alcohol comes across on the palate. Finish goes on for minutes. Invitare is essentially a brand rather than a vineyard.
Chante-Alouette 2005 (Hermitage blanc) €35.50
Medium yellow, very open nose. Huge bouquet of flowers. Powerful, enormous palate. Crisp, fresh and very long. At least a decade ahead of it.
Ermitage De l’Orée 2004 (Hermitage blanc) €144
Very open nose, so rich it boarders on tropical. Piercing sharp multi-layered powerful flavours with fresh acidity and a very long finish. Very fine.
Les Bécasses 2006 (Côte Rôtie) €40.50
Open nose, red fruit, floral perfume. Good acidity. Beautifully ripe tannin with an good edge on the finish. Enjoyable now; will obviously keep well.
Monier de la Sizeranne 2006 (Hermitage rouge) €48
Deeply coloured, almost opaque core. Meaty nose. Clearly richer, more tannic structure. Bolder, stronger. Longer finish bites back a little at the end. This has a good 20 years ahead of it.
Ermitage Le Pavillon 2004 (Hermitage rouge) €142
Much darker body. Black spice on the nose, with a lovely smoky character. Huge rasp of tannin ++++ on the palate. Monolithic wine. 20 years +.
Tasted in December:
Ermitage De l’Orée 1997 (Hermitage blanc)
Honey and mineral character. Layer upon layer of complexity. Beautiful, contemplative wine to sip and consider.
Rasteau 2005 (rouge) €8.90
16+/20 (could likely improve with cellaring further)
Decanted an hour before tasting. Dark ruby. Open nose of primary dark red fruits, very appealing. Palate has very ripe tannin and masses of fruit behind this. Reflects the vintage very well. Some remained in the decanter the following day. This had opened up considerably on the nose and the palate had broadened out. Impressive, especially for the price (bought in France). I will wait 5 years before opening the next bottle. Without doubt the best Chapoutier I have tasted from their generic appellation wines; usually these aren’t worth the money!
Tain L’Hermitage, Rhône, France
chapoutier@chapoutier.com
Passing through the Rhône Valley on the way down to the Luberon, it would have been criminal to pass by Maison Chapoutier’s tasting room. Once again our visit overlapped with that of Robert Parker, which was a great opportunity to taste some wines not ordinarily available. Unfortunately we were time constrained by the long drive south still ahead of us, so my notes are brief.
Chapoutier labels the most prestigious wines from the hill of Hermitage “Ermitage”. These wines are not cheap, but the high end vineyard bottlings are some of the most profound wines I have ever tasted. Sadly prices have risen sharply since I first started following Chapoutier in the 1990’s, and I am not convinced that some of the lesser generic appellation bottlings are in any way worth the price. The Rasteau 2005 proved a nice exception; this was tasted separately but I include the note for completeness, along with an older vintage of Ermitage De l’Orée drunk recently.
Michel Chapoutier’s forthright views on biodynamic cultivation are well known. I once had the pleasure of dinner with him in Oxford some years ago, at which he espoused these views for most of the evening. While I remain to be convinced by the evidence base for biodynamic viticulture, our dining companions (including an evolutionary biologist and PhD student in biological science) took scepticism to a whole new level. Thankfully on this occasion the biodynamic preaching went unchallenged, at least allowing us to enjoy dinner!
Tasted at Maison Chapoutier:
Invitare 2007 (Condrieu) €28.70
Open, highly aromatic. Fresh; higher acidity than usual, almost crisp on the palate. High alcohol comes across on the palate. Finish goes on for minutes. Invitare is essentially a brand rather than a vineyard.
Chante-Alouette 2005 (Hermitage blanc) €35.50
Medium yellow, very open nose. Huge bouquet of flowers. Powerful, enormous palate. Crisp, fresh and very long. At least a decade ahead of it.
Ermitage De l’Orée 2004 (Hermitage blanc) €144
Very open nose, so rich it boarders on tropical. Piercing sharp multi-layered powerful flavours with fresh acidity and a very long finish. Very fine.
Les Bécasses 2006 (Côte Rôtie) €40.50
Open nose, red fruit, floral perfume. Good acidity. Beautifully ripe tannin with an good edge on the finish. Enjoyable now; will obviously keep well.
Monier de la Sizeranne 2006 (Hermitage rouge) €48
Deeply coloured, almost opaque core. Meaty nose. Clearly richer, more tannic structure. Bolder, stronger. Longer finish bites back a little at the end. This has a good 20 years ahead of it.
Ermitage Le Pavillon 2004 (Hermitage rouge) €142
Much darker body. Black spice on the nose, with a lovely smoky character. Huge rasp of tannin ++++ on the palate. Monolithic wine. 20 years +.
Tasted in December:
Ermitage De l’Orée 1997 (Hermitage blanc)
Honey and mineral character. Layer upon layer of complexity. Beautiful, contemplative wine to sip and consider.
Rasteau 2005 (rouge) €8.90
16+/20 (could likely improve with cellaring further)
Decanted an hour before tasting. Dark ruby. Open nose of primary dark red fruits, very appealing. Palate has very ripe tannin and masses of fruit behind this. Reflects the vintage very well. Some remained in the decanter the following day. This had opened up considerably on the nose and the palate had broadened out. Impressive, especially for the price (bought in France). I will wait 5 years before opening the next bottle. Without doubt the best Chapoutier I have tasted from their generic appellation wines; usually these aren’t worth the money!
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