2014 - Hermitage Blanc, Jean Louis Chave

Light yellow-gold. Vibrant, mineral-accented citrus and pit fruits, honey and nougat on the intensely perfumed nose, joined by a suave floral nuance. Shows superb depth as well as vivacity, offering sappy orange, pear and nectarine flavors supported a firm spine of smoky minerality. The floral and mineral elements come back strong on the bright, sharply focused, extremely long finish, which leaves a candied lemon zest note behind.

Chave continues to make a full-throttle, concentrated and unctuous Hermitage Blanc, and refuses to buy into the ridiculous trend toward making Sauvignon Blanc-like whites from this tiny, magical terroir. God bless him for that and there are few whites I’d rather drink than a mature Hermitage Blanc from this genius winemaker. Jean-Louis called 2014 a good year for the whites, and his 2014 Hermitage Blanc had just been bottled a month prior to my tasting. It has terrific minerality as well as classic stone fruits, buttered citrus, honeysuckle and crushed rock, full-bodied richness and an elegant, fresh, pure style. It will have two decades of longevity.